"Remind me why I'm here again." Sougo drawled, picking at his fish with disinterest.

In between monstrous slurps and chewing, Kagura spared him a quick glance, "Becaush you didn't shink I could knock that guy out in one hit," She swallowed violently, "But I did."

Sougo watched as she gulped down a chicken breast in what looked like one bite with a detached, somewhat grossed out, fascination. "You're a glutton." He announced, ignoring her boasting, "How does Danna even pay rent?"

Kagura snorted, a little bit of sauce splattering across her lips. "He doesn't. Tama-chan's burnt through our door at least twice this month, yes."

Sougo's eyes locked onto that bit of sauce, something very very stupid moving his hand up across the table to wipe it with his thumb. Kagura paused, staring at him as he brought his finger to his mouth and licked the sauce clean. "Mm. Not bad."

Kagura kicked him from under the table. "Are you stupid Sadist? If you wanted to taste it you could've just asked, yes." Her chopsticks dug into the comically large bowl of rice filled with God knows what and jammed it in his general direction.

Sougo sighed, wondering why he was trying to flirt with such an idiot, before obediently opening his mouth. His teeth bit around the chopsticks, his eyes seeking hers out as he slowly withdrew. Ahh, he thought, there we go, as he noticed the heat flush across her face. "It was better the way I did it." He said, returning to his fish.

"That's because you're a pervert, yes." Kagura mumbled, looking far too interested in the soy sauce stain in the tablecloth.

Enjoying her discomfort, Sougo thought he'd lay it on her. "That punch was pretty cool though China girl. He really flew."

Her blush intensified as she crossed her arms over chest, babbling, "W-well of course it was! I'm Kagura the great! Everything I do is amazing, AHAHAHA." Her laughter bordering a little bit on crazy, she ignored Sougo's presence completely as she threw her face into her bowl, throwing rice in her mouth frantically.

Snickering to himself, Sougo found his meal to be much more enjoyable.

"Oy, Chihuahua, did you buy your bazooka yet?" Kagura asked, after her embarrassment died down.

Sougo sighed, sliding down his chair a little, "I haven't had the chance. That stupid Hijikata has been up everyone's ass about this stupid gang around here."

"Just buy him some Sailor Moon dolls, that will keep him satisfied."

Sougo snorted, "No way. That money is going to a good cause."

"Weapons of mass destruction aren't a good cause, yes." Kagura deadpanned.

"See, it's bad opinions like those that won't get you in my reality TV show."

Slightly curious, but most amused, Kagura's laugh bordered on mockery as Sougo pouted just a little- though he'd deny it to the grave! "Keeping up with the Shinsengumi: One Hero's Journey to Killing His Boss, patent pending."

Kagura banged her fist against the table. "That's plagiarism! Plagiarism!"

"Well the actual show is garbage, I'm bringing it back from the dead!"

"How dare you!" Kagura threw a spring roll at his head which Sougo caught neatly with his mouth.

"There's not even any murder!"

"Yes there is!" Kagura leaned over the table passionately, "Murder of trust! Of friendship! Of family ties! You don't understand anything stupid Sadist. Come watch an episode from the new season and you'll see."

Sougo stuck his nose in the air, "Tch. Waste of time."

But Kagura had a chopstick pointing dangerously at his neck and her lip curled in a dare for him to defy her. Sougo paused. "Fine. But I'm not bringing you food you pig."

"Psht, who needs you. I'm rich now. I can buy all the sukonbu I want." She gloated, as if he didn't have the exact same paycheck and the bruises to show for it.

"You're going to die from overdosing on seaweed, you know that right?" Sougo pressed, looking mildly concerned.

Kagura stuck another chicken leg in her mouth, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time son."

Sougo snorted. He couldn't argue with that.

Sougo slid open the door to the Shinsengumi compound, steps light and something faintly content about him. Yamazaki smiled, "Something good happen Okita-san? You seem in a good mood."

Sougo hummed, "You could say that."

Yamazaki blinked and then flashed a quick hand signal behind his back. Immediately, the lounging cops fled, sending quick looks of fear at their commanding officer. Okita Sougo being in a good mood for no reason was never good. Unbeknownst to Sougo however, there was another reason his fellow cops were scurrying out the common room. Inside his office, just to the side of the common area, Hijikata sat on the floor, cigarette smoke curling around him seething. Kondo stood next to him, leaning against the wall, brows pinched together and arms crossed. Cautious now, Sougo slid off his jacket, watching his bosses carefully. "What happened."

Smoke puffing out furiously now, Hijikata glowered, "A Joui faction was robbed this morning. In broad fucking daylight. Not that I care, but this robbery just goes to show how audacious those bastards are and we have zero leads about where the money will be or where they're hiding and you were supposed to be looking into it."

Shit.

"Sougo I'm going to run you clean through with your own sword. The gang we assigned to you last meeting. The one that likes to target other gangs-"

Sougo winced. For all that he liked to be insubordinate, being a police officer was his number one pride. He took his job seriously when push came to shove and these guys sounded like dirty bastards. "The Green Markhors. I remember and, I do have a lead." He blurted out, panicking when both his superiors' eyes shot in his direction.

"That's my boy!" Kondo boomed, "See Toshi, I told you he'd have something."

Sougo shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, no faith Hijikata-san. This is why they're going to replace you." He smirked.

Internally however, he berated himself for succumbing to his base instincts and going over to watch crappy reality TV shows with that gluttonous idiot and throw burnt popcorn at the screen instead of coming back and reviewing some files. But he couldn't really feel all that guilty about it because at one point Kagura had nodded off and slumped across his shoulder, her hair, let out from her signature buns, cascading down his neck. He drew all over her face of course, in permanent green marker for ultimate effect. But it had been nice, to feel her pressed up against him while women screamed on screen for losing a diamond earring. It had been a pretty good night. Something goofy welled up within him before he crushed it with zero remorse.

He didn't have time to lose his head right then.

"I have a lead." He repeated, "A really solid lead that you could never have discovered."

Hijikata rolled his eyes, "I don't care. I want someone brought in by the end of the week, do you hear me Sougo?

Sougo saluted him mockingly, "Yes sir." Walking out the door, he hoped he looked as confident as he was trying to feel.

Truthfully, Sougo had negative leads if he was being realistic. How he was going to crack the case in one night he had no idea. With a sigh, he trudged his way over to the filing room, ready to dig through some stupid papers and useless junk. Only a little disappointed that the file for the Green Markhors was ultra thin, he sat at the desk and read. After sifting through repeated info and nonsense reported from idiot passersby whose testimonies were all garbage really, Sougo learned three things:

1) The Green Markhors were robbers. Their targets included banks at first until they realized no one cared nearly as much if they robbed other crime syndicates. But they learned pretty quickly to target only the small guys

2) They were a tightly knit group, small and highly organized

3) He had beat the shit out of one of them in the ring not two weeks ago

Practically giddy, Sougo went to bed, images of a giant of a man tumbling to his knees dancing around in his head. The description in the file matched word for word that Shinzo guy that had come knocking on their door only a couple days before. This was perfect. Something glared at the edge of his consciousness though, a detail he couldn't grasp, something crucial that eluded him no matter how hard he tried to grab it. He was missing something, something big…but what?

"I hope you both know you're in the presence of a criminal genius." Sougo boasted as he set out the new set of merchandise on the concession table.

"Okita-san… you're a police officer, you shouldn't be a criminal genius." Shinpachi scolded, somewhat distractedly as he tried to hang a giant banner across the entryway.

"I didn't mean I was the criminal! Though if I was, I'd be fantastic and there's no way any of you would be able to catch me-" He was cut off by Kagura's condescending guffaw, "But that's neither here nor there, I meant I cracked a case in five minutes due to my exceptional sleuthing ability." He posed, ready to be basked in glory.

"That's great! Congratulations. Did you arrest someone?" Shinpachi asked, encouraging smile hidden behind a set of pins in his mouth.

Sougo paused. "Well…no. But I have a suspect. That guy from last time, Shin-whatever his name is. That creep is part of that gang."

Shinpachi snickered, quickly hiding his laughter behind his hand. "I don't suppose the gang mark is a set of green curled horns?"

Sougo blinked and then glared, suspicious. "Why."

"Okita-san, if you had just mentioned this earlier I would've told you I saw his tattoo on his back as you two were fighting. I'll get his info and pass it on to you. I thought it was strange considering I saw it-" Kagura screeched, clutching at her sides as she shrieked with laughter.

Why was it that he was always interrupted?!

Always! Without fail! What was this!

"HAH! Stupid sadist! You thought you were smart but Shinpachi cracked the case first! MWAHAHA! And you didn't even arrest anyone!" She pointed a finger at him, stupid expression and all.

Brow twitching, Sougo chucked a collector's mug at her head, "Shut it China brat! At least I have three functioning brain cells!"

Kagura stuck out her tongue, dodging his projectile with ease. She mimed crying, "Wahh, wahh, I'm Sougo and I can't do my job because I'm stupid, yes, wahhhh!"

The anger flared inside him before he froze, staring at her with something of a sadistic grin growing on his face. "What did you just call me?"

"I called you stupid, are you deaf too?" She asked condescendingly.

Shinpachi grinned, "Kagura-chan, you just called Okita-san by his name. You never do that."

Kagura blanched, turning away sharply, arms crossed. "Did not! You two are both deaf! What is this anyway, a conspiracy?! Leave that to the government, yes!"

Shinpachi laughed, "Come on Kagura-chan, just admit that you like-"

Kagura shrieked, "Shut up glasses!"

Shit eating grin on his face, Sougo held open his arms, "Come on Kagura-chan, admit your undying love for me and I'll let you be my favourite dog."

"SADIST!" She shrieked, "Super duper ULTRA EVIL SADIST!"

"Idiots." Shinpachi muttered as he finally pinned the banner into the wall, "Just plain idiots."

After setting up the main area, Shinpachi dragged Kagura into the storage room to clean up her last mess involving her multiple outfit changes from destroying them repeatedly. "Kagura-chan you really need to be more neat. It's not that difficult you know." Shinpachi reprimanded, folding a stray shirt and placing it back in its designated box.

"Cleaning's boring, yes." Kagura grumbled, sulking as she took her time bending down to retrieve a sock and then lazily toss it into a random bin.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you'd rather do a ton of other exciting things like fight randoms or flirt with Okita-san-"

"I don't flirt with Sou-the sadist!" Kagura yelled again, waving her arms in the air like it would somehow make her seem less like a crazy person.

Shinpachi gave her The Look. "Kagura-chan."

"I don't!" She reasserted, crossing her arms and looking away.

A soft smile graced her friend's face. "You don't have to hide your feelings from me Kagura-chan. You know I only want you to be happy. Plus, I think you and Okita-san are a nice fit…maybe not for the wellbeing of the city or my blood-pressure, or Hijikata-san's for that matter, but you two are nice together! Really…" Although he was sounding less convinced by the second.

Immediately, Kagura's umbrella was pointed right at his neck. "If you tell anyone I'll kill you."

Shinpachi's hands went up though it was mostly for show, "Yes, yes. I'll take it to the grave." He resumed his cleaning with a nonchalance that irritated Kagura to no end, "But listen, I'm pretty sure he likes you too. And I'm also pretty sure you know that and that he knows you know that. So you shouldn't just wait around, you know? That's not like the Kagura-chan I know at all."

He expected her to yell at him, or perhaps through some relatively lethal object at his head, but instead, Kagura squeaked, hiding her face behind a shirt. "It's too embarrassing." She mumbled.

Laughing, Shinpachi pat her on the head in endearment, "Maybe, but together, you two have done some pretty embarrassing things so I think it just matches the relationship. Seriously Kagura-chan, you really don't have anything to worry about. Anyone would be lucky to have someone like you."

Kagura peeked out from behind the shirt. "Well that's true." Picking up steam, she threw the shirt into the first bin she saw like a basketball player, "What's not to adore? I'm a cute ass-kicking princess!"

Shinpachi snorted, "There you go!" And then Supportive Shinpachi died so that Housewife Shinmama could live as his hands flew to his hips, "And if you throw just one more item in the wrong bin I will personally confiscate all your snacks do you hear me!"

Kagura sulked.

But she did as she was told.

Leaving Kagura to her own devices, Shinpachi walked around the warehouse looking out for the finishing touches before spotting Sougo practicing with his sword. Remembering about the request from before, Shinpachi called him over. "About that favor from before…Sorry Okita-san, Shinzo didn't leave any useful information in the form before you fought him. I'll ask around at the booth though."

Sougo frowned, "Don't bother, I don't need him if I can find another sucker."

"Don't bother," that's what he said, but as the crowd trickled in, the reality of it all was much more disappointing.

Sougo was big enough to admit he may have slightly miscalculated when he hopped into the ring and couldn't see a tattooed bastard anywhere. Admittedly, not all tattoos were in immediately visible areas, but still. He had a plan. Albeit, a half-baked, super dangerous, and kinda stupid plan, but a plan nonetheless! If he could goad a Greenie into fighting them, he had a 100% chance of going in for a knock out where he would insist to take the guy to an infirmary for aid (an infirmary that didn't exist but lying was his second best skill, the first being murder, but anyway), and then manipulate him into telling him everything about the gang and their whereabouts, cracking down on them single-handedly and then going home as a hero.

It was foolproof obviously.

Outside the ring, Shinpachi was greeting guests cheerily at the concession stand when a man wearing a navy cloak that billowed around him like it had a life of its own approached him. "I want to fight." His voice muffled by the scarf pulled up over his nose.

"I'm sorry sir, we're all booked today."

"How much did the highest bidder pay?" The man asked quietly.

Shinpachi glanced down at the sheet, "A thousand." Clearly expecting him to be daunted and turn away.

Without hesitating, the man slapped a stack of bills atop the counter, his eyes daring Shinpachi to deny him. "That's double. I want to fight."

Shinpachi smiled shakily and handed him a receipt. "A-alright sir. Just this way sir." Gesturing to the fighter waiting area.

As the crowd cleared, Shinpachi hopped onto his MC stand and announced the mysterious challenger. "First up tonight, we have…Danzo, a strange man with a hidden past!" The man approached the ring, the scar circling his head like a snake looking blistered and angry under the harsh light. He raised a spindly finger, pointing at Sougo. "I challenge you." He rasped.

"Umm…excuse me sir…but you wrote down you wanted both of them." Shinpachi looked torn between wanting to be apologetic and assertive.

Danzo nodded, "I did."

Walking past Shinpachi, he bent underneath the ring ropes and his eyes crinkled into something of a smile as he noticed the tiny step Kagura in Sougo's direction and the one he mimicked in return. His body throbbed with excitement. He could already taste their blood on his lips. Danzo looked creepy, suspiciously so, but not one to be daunted, Sougo's lips widened, his teeth glinting in the light. "Come on then, Danzo-san."

The three waited for Shinpachi's signal, shouting go. Danzo's hands flew together in a thunderous clap and the ring went black. Kagura screamed, the feeling of thousands upon thousands of teeth and wings and claws overwhelming her senses, violating her every cell, everything felt wrong, wrong wrong. She screamed and felt them everywhere everywhere and screamed louder but everything was silence. She thought she could hear Sougo yell her name but everything was too much too much. Her hands tried to push through the wave of bodies but her sense of direction was obliterated and nothing made any sense. Arms wrapped around her and tugged her out of the dark but then something choked her neck and every part of her body froze. The bats shrieked mechanically, swirling through the air uniformly before flooding back into Danzo's cloak.

Sougo swore, dropping his arms from shielding his face, his uniform torn in places, slivers of blood marring his skin. He looked around, trying to find Kagura before something horrible and gaping hit him. Danzo had his hand against Kagura's cheek, stroking her skin fondly, his other hand clasped around her shoulder. "Such a pretty thing…" He murmured.

Kagura wasn't blinking, barely even looked like she was breathing. "Kagura-chan! Kagura-chan what's wrong!" Shinpachi looked frantic, rushing to the ring before a swarm of bats blocked his path, hissing in his direction.

"Tsk. Tsk. You can't interrupt the game."

Shinpachi hated bats. He hated their creepy eyes and their leathery bodies and their fangs but fear was irrelevant in the face of Kagura's unnatural stillness. His hands reached out to throw every single last one away before Sougo's blade slit them clean. The bats fell to the ground in a hiss of static. He met Shinpachi's gaze. "Trying to hog the spotlight glasses?"

"Okita-san-"

Sougo straightened his back, an eclipse overtaking his eyes so they glowed like the moon as it engulfed the sun. "I'll protect her." He said quietly, for only his friend to hear.

Shinpachi clenched his fist and stepped back though every fiber of his being shrieked to go forward.

"What did you do to her freak?" Sougo commanded, steel and unmoveable.

"You don't ask the questions boy." Danzo threw out his arms, an army of bats rushing at Sougo like bullets, biting and swiping at him.

His sword splayed through the air like lightening but the torrent of bodies seemed infinite. Sougo grit his teeth, blood blinding his vision as he forced himself forward, shoving past the wave that pushed him back. Grunting, he lashed out with everything he had in him, getting to Danzo with a burst of relief that was met with a sword blocking his. Steel scraped against steel as the bats swarmed overhead, not close enough to touch him, but just close enough that the perimeter of their fight was constrained like a choked breath.

Kagura's body remained behind Danzo, locked in some hell-scape he couldn't begin to comprehend. But his distraction was costly as Danzo caught his forearm with the tip of his blade. Hissing, Sougo jumped back, wrath and rage pouring from every part of him. Danzo looked like he was smiling though Sougo couldn't tell with his mouth covered, but the man ran at him like a bull, his sword striking at him so fast it felt like there were doubles. Pain tore at Sougo's muscles, the weight of his blade seeming to grow by the second. He heaved in a breath, feeling exhausted and angry and overwhelmingly done with this shit.

"If you just wanted to fight me then why did you bring her in?" He demanded, panting as every word was emphasized by a jab.

"You still don't recognize me?" Danzo asked instead, raising his hands so that the bats all flew up to the ceiling before crashing down like a meteor, throwing Sougo to the ground and trapping him on his back.

Squirming, Sougo writhed against their grips but felt useless against all the bodies that kept him there. Danzo loomed over him, letting his scarf fall to the ground. Something inside him jolted, a hazy memory that screeched into focus. The entire bottom half of his face was burnt, his skin a myriad of colours, a patchwork of pain and loss. Sougo's heart lurched in his throat. "You're that man…the one from the ship hostages." Instinctively, Sougo's gaze lurched towards Kagura and something violent and helpless surged within him because he knew what Danzo would say next before he did, and knew that this one selfish look was all it took to seal Kagura's fate.

"You let her die. You let my precious wife die on that ship. You bastards, you sons of bitches, they told you not to try and save us, they warned you. But you dirty cops, all you care about is the glory, you charged in anyway and they blew our ship up. Maria died. Because of you and your fucking pride." Spittle burst from Danzo's mouth as his arms gestured wildly this way and that. "She died! Because of you! My face is burned! Because of you!"

The bats tore into him, cutting into his face and his arms and his chest, their mechanical eyes devoid of any remorse. Sougo looked at Danzo and knew he had nothing to say. "We had to. You know that. We're sorry about your wife-"

Danzo's hand shot out, grabbing Sougo by the lapels and throwing him to the other side of the ring, his back cracking against the pole. Stumbling, Sougo got to his feet, spitting blood, trying to focus but feeling torn at the sides, his mind split between focusing on himself and knowing Kagura was a sacrifice in a mockery of revenge for a woman he'd never met. Suddenly, Danzo was upon him, his knee in Sougo's chest, his fist against his cheek. Sougo's hands rose to defend himself but everything hurt and his eyes were haunted by an explosion on a ship when he was just sixteen.

It had all happened too fast. It was a rebellion gone bad. Joui rebels had tried to crash a cruise ship party hosting dignitaries and government officials. They had just wanted to scare them into changing their ideals, but something had gone wrong and a foreign prince had gotten shot. Fell dead on the deck and in the panic, the Joui shot more as they tried to control the crowd. By then, the police had been called and to try and escape the consequences, the rebels had claimed a hostage situation and wanted safe passage in exchange for the ship passengers. But it was in the Shinsengumi code to not negotiate with terrorists or hostage takers.

They just weren't expecting the bomb.

It was actually pretty small as far as homemade bombs went. It was meant to blow up the control center of the ship and leave them stranded. But they detonated it in the engine room and the fires burst through the entire ship, sending it in flames. They never got everyone out…and those who were saved didn't all come back the same. They couldn't have prevented that, the whole thing was one mistake after another. But the guilt still stayed. The weight of the lives lost never left.

But they had done everything they could.

They did.

Sougo's sword crashed against Danzo's sliding down before he spun around, landing a solid blow to Danzo's ribs. Grunting, Danzo jumped back. "I lost something precious to me that day-" But Sougo wasn't here to hear sob stories.

He pushed through with his attacks, ignoring the throbbing in his body and the sharp pierce of fangs, he pushed and he pushed. Danzo ducked to the side to avoid a lethal swipe of Sougo's sword and Sougo didn't blink, just ran past his enemy, turning his back on him as he ran towards Kagura. He knew those collars. They acted as paralyzers, numbed the body and wear it long enough, it eventually stopped all biological processes. She would die in this warehouse, helpless and still. Unnaturally. Wrongly. Terribly. Sougo ran, desperately, desperately. The bats bit at him, one ripping at the sword wound from before. Cursing, he held his arm closer to his chest, hoping to staunch the bleeding somewhat. Closer, closer, he inched nearer. His fingers grasped at her shirt and his heart burst it burst, everything beat, hurry hurry hurry. His sword reached to slice the collar before a heavy blow to the head threw him to the ground.

For one awful second, Sougo was on the floor, looking up into Kagura's face, her lips turning blue as her body shut down. Helpless and pathetic, Sougo could only stare for a second before adrenaline soared through him, his body rolling to the right, a sword embedded in the ring where his head was. "You don't get to save her." Danzo said calmly. "You can't save anyone."

Sougo wiped the blood from his eyes. "I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk. You're going to take off that collar or I'm going to do it myself after beating you into the ground." Sougo fought hard to keep his emotions in check.

Focus.

Focus.

Focus.

But his breaths came in gasps and his every thought was wild, nothing like the controlled sharpness he was used to. Suddenly, he was on his knees, Danzo's hands in his hair as he tugged his head up into Kagura's direction. "I watched Maria burn alive right in front of me. It was the most terrible thing I've ever experienced. Now it's your turn."

Panic.

PANIC.

Act!

His breaths drew shorter, the world narrowed into a fog where she stood as the only clear thing. His fingers twitched. Sword, sword, where was his sword. Where was- "LOOK BOY!" Danzo jerked his head around, harder and harder, his brain rattling in his skull. "LOOK AT HER LIKE HOW I LOOKED!"

ACT!

Sougo could see Shinpachi running and a flood of bats overtaking him, shoving him to the floor while he yelled his friends' names. He could see Kagura's skin go pale, shade by shade. He could see himself almost, could picture how weak he must look, on his knees looking at the girl he loved while everything crumbled around him.

ACT!

His eyes shut and then flashed open, a roar escaping him as his hands clamped around Danzo's flipping him over his head as Sougo used his body's momentum to lurch forward. As the man collapsed to the floor, Sougo punched clean through his chest, a burst of electricity and smoke billowing from the impact. The bats jerked around, spazzing in the air before tumbling in a heap onto the floor.

Danzo heaved, "Y-you-"

But Sougo didn't pay him any attention as he tugged the sword out of the man's hand and knocked him into unconsciousness. Sougo heaved in a breath, freezing at the sound of metal hitting the floor. Turning around, slowly, painfully, not daring to breathe, Kagura's cheeks flushed as life flowed through her body once more. She took a step forward, her knee buckling, "Sou-" and Sougo was running. His whole life, he had tried to dial down his intensity, numb his feelings, so world shattering like volcanoes into the flickering light of a matchstick. But Kagura, with the determination blazing in her gaze, made him want to burst like magma from the earth. Ravage the universe as proof of his existence. Kagura took a step, then another and another and she was running, something crazy in her fierceness, a clarity so true it burst like the height of summer, bold and true and utterly unforgettable.

She leapt into the air and Sougo caught her without thinking, her legs wrapping around his waist and hands grabbing his face as she pulled him in. Her smile softened as her eyes melted into something more gentle than the rain as she kissed him, her lips cold but so soft. Sougo's eyes widened before closing shut, his hands pressing her closer against him like he could mold them together. She pulled back, her hands still in his hair as she leaned her forehead against his. "I knew I wasn't gonna die, yes. But I knew I couldn't wait around anymore."

Sougo softened, something like a laugh or love curling his lips up. "You just had to go and steal my thunder didn't you China?"

Kagura grinned, her arms tightening around him. "Just hold me you stupid dog." Sougo cradled her head against his neck and did as she asked.

Shinpachi's smile couldn't be contained as he looked at their sweet, if rather ridiculous, display of affection, as he directed the audience's attention towards him. He wanted to give them a little privacy at least, they deserved that much. "Even a deep rooted desire for revenge can't defeat these two! Is there no one who can challenge them? We'll find out after the break!" Around them, the crowd cheered.

Inside the backroom, Kagura pushed down the centre of a bandage while Sougo tied it across his arm. "Stop pushing so hard! That hurts!"

"Don't be a baby, it's just a little bite." Kagura mocked.

"You try being attacked by a hundred robot bats trying to save your sorry ass. Oh wait, you got frozen two seconds in." Sougo sneered.

Kagura sniffed, "That's not my fault. There's no way I could've known what was gonna happen, yes."

"See if I ever save you ever again."

"Please, you like me too much to let me die."

"Says the one who kissed me in front of hundreds of people." Sougo cocked his head up ready for a fight.

"Yah?" Kagura jutted her forehead against his just as antagonistically, "Well you kissed me back, remember?"

"So what if I did? Are you expecting me to tell you how much I like you and how I'm just mad you beat me to it?"

"Well you better not be expecting me to say that I've obviously liked you for a long time, yes."

She looked too cute then, her cheeks puffed up in annoyance and brows curved. Sougo couldn't help but lean in and kiss her again, hard and commanding. She jumped, her hands tensing before curling around his biceps and kissing back just as fiercely. "Does this mean you have to buy me food and cute toys now?" She asked, looking more excited by the second.

Sougo rolled his eyes, "Am I just a meal ticket to you?" He grumbled.

"A cute one." Kagura pinched his cheek as she laughed, brightening when he cracked a smile.

"Kondo-san is gonna flip when he finds out I got you before he got Boss Lady." Sougo snickered.

"Heh. And Gin-chan too, yes! And Shinpachi and Sa-chan and that stupid lady from the convenience store who said I'd never get a boyfriend." She snarled a little, before gesturing for a high five, "We're obviously the best, yes."

Sougo slapped her hand. "Obviously."

When Shinpachi called them out, offering his congratulations with a soppy smile, Sougo was already on a kind of high where he felt like he was walking on Hijikata's grave, so he almost didn't spot it when it happened. The next fighter was prepping to enter the ring, a man in an eye-patch whispering something in his ear. Simultaneously, everything he had been missing hit him at once. Every time someone with that tattoo came to fight them, that guy had been there, eyeing him and Kagura, his fellow gang member, and the money behind them all. He had to be the leader, or at least someone important. Regardless, it was someone suspicious! On the momentum of his continuous victories, Sougo could barely contain his sadistic glee when eye-patch guy turned to look directly at him, exposing his neck…and the green tattoo plastered on it.

"China," He called, "We're going to celebrate tonight." Letting himself warm up with the cuteness of Kagura's confused head tilt, Sougo pointed right at the man in question and said, "Hey, instead of sending your minions to fight for you, why don't you come challenge us yourself?"

"My, my, looks like we've been caught." Eye-patch guy said and for a second, Sougo thought he'd won.

And then a dozen swords were drawn out.

As Kagura kicked back into a fighting stance, Sougo had to re-evaluate his life. Maybe, just maybe, he had screwed up.

A bullet whizzed by his ear.

Probably.

A/N Oh Sougo, you silly problematic child. So yaaaay okikagu got together! Next chapter is the final chapter so I hope you're all excited for the climax and the return of ultimate dads Gin/Kondo/Hijikata to return to the picture. If you enjoyed the story so far, feel free to favourite and review!

(Also, no one can convince me Kagura and Sougo wouldn't be the most holier than thou superiority complex couple in the world.)