"Surprisingly enough, that monster was telling the truth." The Shinsengumi vice-chief lit his cigarette.

"She was? What did you find out?" Sougo asked him while eating his pudding cup.

"Looks like our little Princess Kada was the Fourth Squad Captain of the Harusame. She ran off with quite the huge sum of money and upset the higher-ups, so they sent the seventh squad after her." Hijikata let out a puff of smoke. "Apparently that's what the seventh squad is for, cleaning up messes." He frowned. "After some more digging, we found out that Housen was part of the spring cleaning."

"Hijikata…"

"Yes, Sougo?"

"It's autumn."

"Shut up or commit seppuku."

"...what are the two of you doing?" Shinpachi asked his fellow Yorozuya, irritation welling up inside him at the sight he was greeted with that morning.

"Can't you see? We have chosen to follow the path of the warrior!" Gintoki exclaimed while raising his fist before resuming his previous position, scrunching his bows in deep concentration.

"I have to become stronger if I want to defeat Kagura." Kamui added solemnly. "And that requires rigorous training."

"I don't think that's how you're supposed do it…" Shinpachi tried to point out, but as usual, he was shot down quickly.

"Be quiet, Pattsuan, we have to concentrate."

"I'm actually one hundred –no, one thousand- percent sure that's not how you do it!"

"PSSHHHT!" Kamui hissed.

"It's your fault we have to start from the beginning again, can't you be more considerate?" Gintoki shook his head in disappointment before resetting everything.

"Since we're starting over, can I have the red figurine?" The Yato asked while shuffling the deck of cards.

"Hmm, good point. In that case, I'll take the yellow one."

Shinpachi looked down at the two idiots he called co-workers as they sat around the table in their office playing snakes-and-ladders and UNO simultaneously.

"Could you at least try to act seriously every now and then?!" He screamed in frustration as he slammed a fist down on the table.

"Draw Two." Gintoki triumphantly laid down his card.

"Draw Four. I pick green." Kamui smugly replied.

"Are you guys even listening to me?" Shinpachi's shoulders sagged as he gave up.

"Dammit, now I have to draw another card." The silver-haired man mumbled, ignoring him.

"This will be an easy win for me." Kamui smirked as he put another card on the stack.

"Hold your horses, Kamui, hold your horses." Gintoki left space for a dramatic pause. "If you truly want to defeat your sister... Let's see you beat this!" He slammed his card down on the table.

"Gin!" Kamui gasped. "This is… this is… this is the wrong card game, you moron!" The now upset Amanto grabbed the Pokémon card and shoved it into the samurai's face along with his fist. "And why'd you pick an Eevee of all things?!"

"You have to expect the unexpected! And I was hoping to evolve it! Even you can't deny the awesomeness of a Vapereon!" Gintoki stood up in a flash, using his palm to push his nose back into place, and using his other hand to accusingly point his finger at his roommate.

"It's still the wrong game, numbskull! And Flareons are way better!" Kamui stood up as well, glaring at the silver-haired man.

"Nonsense, you will never defeat my Water Style Jutsu!" Gintoki started doing hand signs to demonstrate his point.

"As if your lame Jutsu could ever stop my Ryuujin Jakka! Bankai, Zanka no Tachi!"

"GAHHHH! STOP IT! THE COPYRIGHT! THE COPYRIGHT!" Shinpachi desperately attempted to stop the two of them.

"SHUT UP, GLASSES!" The fighting duo shouted at him in sync.

"Nobody ever listens to me…" Shinpachi whimpered while the office was being torn apart - yet again.

"Captain Okita!"

"What do you want?" He asked disinterested. The man in front of him bowed deeply.

"Welcome back, Captain Okita!" We hope you've recovered well!" The obviously intimidated officer mechanically screamed. Poor bugger probably lost at Rock-Paper-Scissors.

"Yeah yeah, I'm just peachy, so don't interrupt my naptime. And stop shouting." He waved the subordinate away.

"O-Of course, Captain Okita! We know you will put the criminal in his place the next time for sure!" The idiot continued to shout. He sighed.

"Yes, whatever, now shut up and leave me alone. No wait, actually being defeated has made me really frustrated." Sougo drawled monotonously. "Want to let me take it out on you?" He asked innocently.

"I-I'll take my leave at once!" The officer scampered away with his tail between his legs.

"What a pain…" Okita muttered once the man was gone.

He thought back to what he had said. Put the criminal in his place? Well, first of all, it'd have to be her place, if already, and quite frankly, Sougo was having doubts.

Could he really put that monster in its place once and for all?

He knew not to underestimate a Yato's strength, his first fights with Kamui taught him that. Bones tended to shatter a lot faster than he'd like them to. He looked down at his left hand, which was still in a thick cast. He frowned as he remembered the doctor telling him that the extent of the fracture was a miracle in itself. That if the bone had been shattered at any other spot, he wouldn't have been able to hold a sword again.

The thought that that girl was playing him unnerved him. It was as if she knew, and she was silently telling him to entertain her once more, the next time they met. If there was a next time, of course.

He smirked to himself. Of course there'd be a next time. After all, her big brother was still on this blue planet.

And he couldn't wait to show that bitch who was boss.

Kamui sneezed.

"Oi, don't come any closer if you're coming down with a cold!" Gintoki tried warding him off by crossing his arms.

"Gin, that's not going to protect you from germs…" Kamui mumbled while wiping his nose.

"Germs are tiny little demons, so it'll work." He stated full of conviction.

"Whatever you say…" The Yato mumbled as he readjusted his umbrella. "So, what's this cat look like again?" He referenced their latest job assignment.

"The owner said it's hard to miss." The leader of the Yorozuya said, checking under one of the near-by benches.

"That can mean all sorts of things." The redhead sighed in exasperation. He pushed a few branches out of the way as he checked the bushes. "I hope Shinpachi isn't slacking off anywhere…" He muttered.

"You know how those glasses are, he probably found another virtual girlfriend and got lost with her. Who knows, she probably has to make the first move again." Gintoki explained.

"True, true." Kamui nodded in agreement.

"What the hell do you think you're talking about it?!" A furious Shinpachi shot out from one of the trees.

"Oh, look, there he is." The samurai mocked. "Have you found the pussy yet?"

"Stop using such obscene words!"

"Why, what's wrong with saying pussy? We are looking for a cat…" Kamui pointed out.

"I'm surrounded by idiots and morons."

"There! That's the stupid cat!" Gintoki suddenly shouted out as he lurched at a big, fat furball.

"After it!" The Yato threw himself on it.

"Gahhh! Kamui, don't crush it!"

"Thank you so much for returning my cat to me." The old lady smiled at them and handed them an envelope. "Here's your reward."

"Ah, please, it was our pleasure." Gintoki replied, eyeing the envelope greedily.

"F-food…" The redhead of the trio drooled.

"Unbelievable…" Shinpachi facepalmed.

They left their client's house and headed down the road. The sun was setting, leaving the horizon dyed in red hues.

"So, what do you feel like eating tonight?" Gintoki asked his fellow Yorozuya.

"Rice wit-" Kamui started.

"No rice." The silver-haired man interjected sharply.

"In that case, anything but Otae's cooking." He complied.

"Don't let Big Sis hear you say that…"

Kamui patted his full and satisfied stomach as they left the All-You-Can-Eat restaurant after being kicked out due to the redhead's black hole of a stomach.

"Seriously, who knew such rude people still lived around here?" Gintoki complained, flicking off a booger.

"The two of you were undoubtedly the rude ones there." Shinpachi deadpanned.

"Well, that was a good meal one way or another."

"But for real, how the hell did you live while growing up? I mean, how much food did your mother cook for you every day?" The adult of their group pondered.

All of the sudden, Kamui came to a stop. "How much food my mother cooked for us?" He repeated softly.

"Yeah…" Gintoki cautiously continued.

Kamui shook his head with a hint of sadness. "Mami didn't cook for us, she was too sick to." He put on a fake smile. "Usually Kagura and I just cooked all the rice we could find." He added nostalgically.

"I've been meaning to ask you this for some time, Kamui…" Shinpachi said. "How did your sister end up becoming… that?" He asked worriedly.

Kamui looked at the plain boy. He guessed he felt affected due to having a sister too, albeit an older and not a younger one.

"She just wanted to be strong." He continued smiling. "Strong enough to help our mother overcome her sickness, and strong enough to …to… fix our family." He trailed off. "Can we not talk about this?" He asked quietly.

"O-of course, I didn't mean to pry or anything!" Shinpachi frantically waved his hands from side to side while shaking his head rapidly.

Kamui nodded solemnly and continued walking. He didn't really want to think about his idiotic sister right now.

Kagura sneezed. She frowned while wiping her nose.

"Did you catch some kind of illness during our time on Earth?" Her second-in-command inquired from beside her.

"Don't be ridiculous, Abuto." She scoffed. "If I could catch an illness from a few days on that planet, my brother would have already croaked a long time ago, and I wouldn't have to worry about doing it myself."

"I really wish you wouldn't fight your brother." The blonde man sighed. "We Yato are rare enough as it is."

"I don't recall asking your opinion." She glared at him. "And if you aren't careful, your love for the Yato blood will be your downfall one day."

"I'll keep that in mind." He gulped. He kind of planned on not losing his head to his captain's bad temper today. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost time for you to meet the admiral. We should get going."

"Already?" She pouted. "I don't really want to talk to Admiral Asshole right now."

"I heard the chef say something about cooking a lot of rice today." He tempted her nonchalantly.

"What are you waiting for, Abuto, grab my captain's coat!" She extended her hand to receive said garment from her vice-captain.

"You're too easy to bribe…" He sighed in defeat as he slipped the red coat over his captain's slender frame.

"Did you say something?" She asked him sweetly.

"Just that we have to hurry." He played it off, attempting to hide the shiver of fear running down his spine.

She eyed him suspiciously before nodding slowly. "Right…"

They walked to the meeting room in silence.

"Do you know what he wants from me?" She tilted her head back, looking up at her subordinate.

"Probably another mess for us to clean up."

"Don't you think it's a bit weird? All of the clean-up requests coming in at once?"

"Maybe. However, ultimately, only time can tell."

"… You're right, I'm probably just overthinking this." She let out a sigh.

They came to a stop, eyeing the two Amanto in front of the posh double-doors.

"Captain Kagura reporting in. I was summoned here by the admiral." She announced herself. The two guards glanced at each other before one of them opened the door for her. She strode past them proudly, her heels hitting the marble floor of the admiral's office. True enough, there was an array of dishes with rice spread out over the table.

"Captain Kagura, take a seat." The pudgy admiral pointed to the seat at the far side of the table. "I'm sure you haven't eaten anything yet."

"How kind of you, Admiral As- Abou." She mentally patted herself on her shoulder for the close save. She sat down and started devouring the first dish she could get her hands on.

"As I'm sure you are aware, I didn't invite you here to empty our food stock." The Amanto started. He was answered by a muffled "Mhm." as the Yato grabbed the next plate.

"You see, there's been something bothering me for some time now." He continued. "There's a group of people I can't trust yet, but they could be valuable allies." Another nod.

"I want you to follow them and record all of their movements. If they do anything suspicious…" He locked eyes with her. "… take care of it."

She swallowed her current mouthful of food. "Sure thing, admiral. But that's not all you wanted me for, right?" She gave him a knowing look while reaching for the next bowl.

"Insightful, aren't you?" He chuckled. "But for now, let's just leave it at that. Keep tabs on the Kiheitai."

She licked the remains off the last plate. "Roger." She smiled.

"They're heading to Earth?" Kagura asked the other Yato in mild surprise.

"Yes." Abuto frowned at the report. "It seems they plan to topple the government there. Their leader apparently wants to meet up with a former comrade there to meet some common goal an-"

"Bla bla bla, whatever. It means I can eat earthling food again." She smiled as she thought about the heavenly goods known as sukonbu she had discovered during her last stay on the blue planet. Her thoughts also wandered to the police swordsman and her no-good brother, but they quickly returned to food.

"Please remember our priorities. We're there on a mission, so don't let yourself get distracted." Abuto reminded her.

"Don't worry, I'll have my eyes on the job." She reassured him.

Her eyes were anywhere but the job. In fact, she wasn't anywhere to be found. Abuto sighed from his position on a roof top as he watched the one-eyed leader of the Kiheitai talk to a suspicious looking man with long black hair under a bridge. The Renho accompanying the man seemed normal enough, though.

The long-haired man seemed upset about something and said something that made both men place their hands on their sword hilts. They both looked like they were about to kill each other when something interrupted them. Both of their heads snapped up and looked to their sides, at something that was effectively blocked from the Yato's view. He let out a silent curse as he swiftly jumped to the next roof top, careful to control his strength. He continued running along the roof tops until he found a suitable angle.

Once he got a clear view of what had interrupted the two men he felt like letting himself drop to the ground and not standing up again. Like ever.

Because standing there, with a wide grin, was his captain who was holding an impossible amount of dango in her arms, munching away happily and tossing the empty sticks in the river, striking up a conversation with their target.

He facepalmed. That stupid little girl really didn't understand observational jobs.

He facepalmed once more when the man with the long hair put his hand on his captain's shoulder and began to lead her away. Abuto caught sight of the writing on the Renho's sign before the four of them left his field of vision once more.

"Welcome to the Joishishi!"

"So Takasugi came to see you, huh Zura?" Gintoki furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura. And yes, he wanted the Kiheitai and the Joishishi to join forces and take down the Bakufu once and for all." Katsura reported. "Apparently something came up within the Harusame. None of them dare to do business on Earth anymore for some reason."

"Not just some reason. They've been tying up their loose ends lately." Kamui added. "The idiot sadist told me that's what my sister told him. They're tightening the leashes on their dogs."

He plopped down on the couch next to Gintoki.

"I see. That would explain why Takasugi thinks this is the best point in time. Without the Harusame meddling in affairs here, it would be easiest to take the government down." The rebel pondered.

"I don't think that's safe to say. Who knows how far the corruption runs?" Shinpachi pointed out. "If you make one wrong move you might have an entire crime syndicate breathing down your necks. And Kamui's sister looked like she could deal more than enough damage on her own. Who knows what other monsters the Harusame has?" He shuddered as he remembered visiting Okita in the hospital.

"Don't be ridiculous, Glasses." Kamui scolded. "She's without a doubt the biggest monster they have."

"Can you not sound so proud when saying that?" Shinpachi muttered in defeat.

"Leader." The man bowed deeply, presenting a small box.

"Yes?" A female voice spoke.

"We have your sukonbu, Leader." The man replied.

"Leave it on the table." The woman pointed towards the low table in front of her.

"Of course!" The man answered immediately, carrying out her order and shuffling out of the room.

A few minutes later, the door slid open again, revealing a man with long, black hair.

"Katsura." The redhead greeted him.

"Leader, it's time for you to join me on a stakeout." The Joi rebel explained to his newest recruit.

Kagura nodded and grabbed the wide-brimmed straw hat on her way out of the room. He lead the way out of their hide-out and they started walking down the streets of Edo in comfortable silence. A few passers-by gave the duo an odd glance, but said nothing.

She pulled the hat deeper over her face and readjusted her grey Haori. She had complied to dressing in a similar fashion to the Joi rebel leader, even if it included dressing as a man.

They sat down against a wall of an Amanto embassy and silently observed the activity on the streets.

"Katsura…" She spoke spoke up.

"Yes, Leader?"

"Why is everybody calling me Leader?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

"You seem like a natural leader." He answered curtly.

"But isn't it confusing? I mean, you're the real leader, aren't you?"

"It's not Leader, it's Katsura." He retorted full of conviction.

"Just forget I said anything." She deadpanned.

AN: Here's the next chapter :) I want to thank all of you who've followed and faved (seriously, you're all awesome!). ^_^

The timeline won't coincide with canon, but a few aspects will overlap. This chapter might have seemed a bit rushed, but I wanted to get to the good stuff ASAP ;)

[Edit 31.05.17: Still busy removing honorifics, don't mind me]

~Emi