"So, did you find anything out?" The blonde Yato inconspicuously asked the figure sitting at the side of the road.

The figure continued chewing on whatever it was eating at that point in time and gulped it down.

"Yeah." A hushed, low female voice answered him afterwards. "The Kiheitai has been hanging around the Joishishi while Takasugi and Katsura are talking about a possible joint operation. They'll definitely be here for the next few days." She elaborated before stuffing the next edible thing into her mouth.

"I see." Abuto replied. He vaguely wondered why he had to go along with this ridiculous play of talking-to-somebody-while-making-it-look-like-you're-not, but decided not to risk blowing his captain's cover or having her blow his head off.

He had to give her credit, though. The seemingly innocent priest with his staff leaning against the wall fooled him completely the first time, and never in a million years would he have thought that to be a female, not to mention his bloodlust-radiating captain.

The girl had her way of wiggling her way through the ranks, usually through brute force and scaring the shit out of everybody who dared oppose her, but under all that was a killer charm that had apparently wormed itself into the Joishishi leader's heart, who had given her a position of authority on a whim. He continued down the street, resisting the urge to throw another glance back at the redhead.

She'd do more than blow off his head if she saw how worried he was about her.

"I should arrest you for showing your stupid face in public." The man in the Shinsengumi uniform deadpanned as he stood opposite of a vermillion-haired youth.

"And I should sue you for abusing your authority. Who knows, maybe I'll even get enough money to buy food out of it…" The redhead grumbled along with his stomach, which had been deprived of food once again due to his roommate's addiction to pachinko.

"As if you'd win that case." The sandy-haired policeman scoffed. "Do you even know how a case works here on Earth? Just remember that you can't apply your alien rules, okay?"

"I'm not the stupid one here, you are." Kamui stated annoyed. "Of course I know how things work here."

"Oh really?" Okita drawled. "I'll add insulting a police officer to those charges." His thumb rested just below the hilt of his sword, ready to push it up.

"Add assaulting an officer to that list while you're at it." The Yato fumed as he swung his umbrella at the flaxen-haired man. His sword was drawn in a flash and intercepted the attack. He kicked high, hoping to knock that irritating parasol out of his opponents' hands.

"Tch, tch, now you're even admitting to it." The Shinsengumi captain clicked his tongue. The purple umbrella stayed firm in his rival's hands.

"I can hardly deny it while dragging your dead body through the streets of Edo." He landed a kick on the sandy-haired man's stomach.

Recovering from having the air knocked out of him, the officer took a step back, chuckling lightly. "Y'know, you and that monster sister of yours actually fight pretty similar to each other."

"Don't compare me to my idiotic sister!" He retorted as he threw a punch at the policeman.

Said policeman dodged the Yato's strike and attempted to slash at his legs. The alien jumped up in the last second and used his umbrella to hit down on Okita's head from above. He just grunted as he used his sheathed sword to block the attack.

"How can I not, when I see such touching similarities between you two?" He teased with a smirk.

"Shut up before I stuff every single one of Mayora's mayo bottles down your throat." The redhead threatened while putting more pressure on the sadistic man's sheath.

"Ew, nobody wants that dog food." The flaxen-haired man wrinkled his nose. He was starting to feel the strain in his arms as he pushed against the vermillion-haired man's superhuman strength.

"Why do you think it's perfect for you, Bakufu Lap Dog?" Kamui grinned with an evil glint in his eyes.

"I kinda prefer 'Tax Robber' now…" Okita deadpanned.

"Too bad." The redhead suddenly pulled back the umbrella, making the policeman startle at the sudden release of pressure, and slammed it down full-force, hitting his opponent square on. Too bad indeed.

Too bad he forgot they were fighting on a bridge and that said bridge was not built to withstand a Yato releasing his anger and aggressions.

A look of surprise crossed his face as both of them fell into the clear river under them.

Too bad indeed.

"Vice-Chief! Vice-Chief!" A panicked voice called out.

"What is it?" Hijikata grunted in annoyance as he topped his ramen with mayonnaise.

"It's… it's… it's…"

"Spit it out already, Yamazaki, I don't have all day." He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"It's Katsura! He's making a move!"

"WHAT?!" The Vice-Chief shouted as his cigarette fell out of his mouth. He stood up in a flash and grabbed his jacket. "Tell me exactly what happened." He ordered harshly as he signalled Yamazaki to follow him.

"There are Joi Rebels posted throughout Edo, but mainly in Kabuki-chou." He reported while trying to keep up with his superior's quick pace. "Apparently they're all disguised as monks and priests. They are forming suspicious patterns, and the area around the castle is contaminated already. We have to warn the Shogun."

"That fucking bastard! Why are we only hearing of this now? What incompetent jackass was sleeping on the job instead of patrolling the area?" He gritted out through his teeth. "Who'll be committing seppuku the next time I lay eyes on him?" He added darkly.

Yamazaki gulped. "Captain Okita, sir!"

"Why am I not surprised?" He muttered with a twitching eye. "Get me a radio ASAP!" He shouted at his subordinate.

"Y-yes, sir! Right away!"

"Bloody rebels, bloody Sougo, bloody rebels, bloody Sougo, think of nice things, one mayo, two mayos, three mayos…" He quietly repeated to himself akin to a mantra.

What did he do to deserve this?

"I can't believe you did that, illegal immigrant scum." Okita chuckled humourlessly as he wiped some blood out of his face.

"Why? Did the Super Sadist injure himself?" The Yato mocked with fake concern.

"I'm seriously going to kill you now."

"Go ahead and try."

"…ougo!"

The Shinsengumi captain frowned at the sudden static interrupting his scripted-out evil monologue. "Hold that thought for a second." He raised his hand at the Yato to signal him to wait.

"Yes, Hijikata-should-just die?" He answered lazily.

"Goddamnit, Sougo! Get your fucking ass moving and intercept the Joishishi!"

"Ehhhhh?! Watcha' talking about, Hijikata-will-get-blown-up?" He feigned innocence.

"Were you even listeni- You know what, just arrest everybody that is dressed like a priest or a monk! Use force if they resist!"

"Roger, Hijikata-just-ate-poisoned-mayonnaise. Over and out." He ended the transmission. "You heard the man, China Boy. This is what a person who actually works has to do. We'll continue this some other time."

"Sure, go and pretend to work, Sadist. We all know you're just running away." Kamui gave him a condescending grin.

"In your dreams, China Boy."

Kagura pulled the straw hat further down her face as she observed what was going on. She dug a strip of sukonbu out of her pocket and began to munch on it.

A few men clad in black uniforms ran past her.

Weakling idiots.

She slipped into one of the back alleys as she took in the development of the scenario. She couldn't help but let a satisfied smirk cross her face as she watched everything go according to plan. Those Shinsengumi officers were truly just too gullible.

"Leader, all the preparations are done." A male voice spoke up from next to her. She glanced over and gave the Joi rebel a short nod in confirmation.

"Right then, let the Kiheitai know it's time for their screen time." She grinned. She couldn't wait to see what had Admiral Asshole's panties twisted in a bunch. Were they really as dangerous as he made them out to be?

"Roger, Leader!" The man disappeared into the complicated back alley layout.

She chuckled slightly at the ingenuity of her plan. The faces they would be making once they realize they were storming and protecting an empty castle would be hilarious, for sure.

She mentally acknowledged the Shogun's double for pulling off such a good job, because if Soyo-chan hadn't told her of the trip she and her brother were making this week she would have also believed they would get him.

She started humming a song to herself as another group from the Shinsengumi rushed down the street.

Subconsciously, she was on the lookout for a certain captain, hoping to make this day even better by splattering his blood all over the pavement. What a lovely picture that would be.

Shouts erupted from the street as frenzied policemen were suddenly confronted by a gun-slinging woman in a two piece kimono. Her blond hair shifted behind her as she spun around gracefully, her bullets hitting all of their marks.

"Your song is beautiful, I daresay." Another male voice spoke up from behind her. The Yato turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"Is that the newest way to hit on girls?" She asked the sunglasses clad man with headphones.

"No, it just means that I know you will not disappoint us, I daresay. I can't wait to see how your song continues, I daresay." He stated nonchalantly while walking past her. He stopped and glanced back at her. "It's a heart-warming and soul-crushing melody. Truly beautiful, I daresay."

He didn't wait for her response and left the alley, took the instrument strapped to his back off and joined the blonde girl in the fray.

Kagura stared after the guy, still confused about what he was trying to tell her. She concluded that all of the members of the Kiheitai had to be whackjobs.

She vaguely remembered her brief meeting with their 'strategist', a lolicon in denial. Unfortunately bashing his head in would have blown her cover (That's right, Abuto! Your captain has some common sense!) so she decided against it. There's always time for that in the future, after all.

"Leader." A smooth, low voice said.

She smirked as she glanced at Katsura out of the corner of her eye. Elizabeth was standing next to him, a sign held up.

"It's time."

Hijikata furrowed his eyebrows. Something was off. Things were going to smoothly, too easily. Despite the large numbers of suspects reported, most of them were giving up without resistance, others claiming to be real priests and still going along, and only the least of them made any sort of fuss.

"Toshi, what's the situation?" The Shinsengumi Chief asked his second-in-command sternly.

Hijikata turned to his just-arrived superior. "Good that you're finally here, Kondo-sa-" He stopped mid-sentence as he took in the swollen, blue eye and missing tooth the gorilla was sporting along with the bandage covering his arms.

"Were you stalking the Shimura girl again?" He sighed in disappointment, already dreading the answer.

"…maybe."

"Gin! Gin! Gin, where are you?" A frantic Shinpachi stormed the Yorozuya office. "Gin! How can you be sleeping at a time like this?!" He screeched once he found the silver-haired samurai snoozing away on the couch, a halfway-read Jump ling across his face.

"Nnnnngh, leave me alone Pattsuan…" He waved the boy away. "I was having such a wonderful dream, too."

"Gin! This is an emergency!"

At the word 'emergency' the perm-head jumped up and headed towards the kitchen counter while screaming, "KAMUI! Put those parfaits back where you found them!"

"Not that kind of emergency…" Shinpachi facepalmed.

"What could be worse than the black hole consuming my precious babies?!" Gintoki whined since he didn't receive sympathy from Glasses.

Shinpachi sighed and pointed towards the street. "What about the riot outside? I'm amazed you could sleep through all the racket."

The samurai frowned at this and peaked through the blinds of the window behind the desk. "This is not good. Are they debt collectors?"

"I highly doubt that…" Shinpachi deadpanned. Why did he have to be the straight man anyway?

"You're right, they're fighting against the Tax Robbers."

"I don't think that's a characteristic of not being a debt collector…"

"Well, let's go out and take care of it." The samurai straightened his clothes and grabbed his bokuto on the way out. A dumbfounded Shinpachi still stood in the office, confusion written all over his face.

"Gin?"

"I said we're moving out, Pattsuan."

"But why are we getting involved, Gin? And where's Kamui?"

"Who's Gin?" He asked dramatically. "It's Gintoki 13." He flamboyantly turned around sporting a pair of sunglasses and holding a machine gun instead of his wooden sword.

"Now really isn't the time for that!"

Kamui warily observed the robe-clad man at the side of the road, a staff leaning against the wall next to him. He remembered what he had heard over the sadist's radio and pondered over whether or not to engage the man. He scowled at the aura the man was emitting, but decided not to get involved. It was probably just a normal priest anyway. And he didn't want to get into trouble with Katsura for crippling one of his men.

He continued down the road, taking a few short cuts here and there and evading the mass arrests the Shinsengumi were conducting at the time. He wondered whether he would still make it back in time to eat some of the parfaits in the fridge before Gin-san woke up and whether Sadaharu had been fed yet.

He watched the sun set on the horizon, noting that it was later than he had expected.

Oh well, whatever.

Sougo Okita frowned at the next priest who was driven away in a patrol car. The feedback from the first interviews just came back confirming these men's identities as actual priests and monks. Somebody was playing them like the strings on a violin, and that person was probably sitting around somewhere, looking smug and satisfied with a shit-eating grin across their face.

A grin his katana was itching to cut off.

It was blatantly clear that it was a mass distraction, but the question was from what? The castle? Even the Joishishi wouldn't storm the castle at a time like this, especially not with the Harusame holding their leashes… The Harusame!

His red eyes widened at the realization. Harusame activity had been close to zero lately, and in combination with what came to light after Kada's and Housen's deaths it meant that… the likelihood of the Harusame meddling was pretty low!

He mentally chastised himself for not noticing earlier and scanned the crowd of priests. There had to be at least one Joi Rebel here… His gaze locked in on the man who had adjusted his straw hat for the fifth time in a few minutes. Bingo.

"Oi, Priest." He greeted the man.

A flicker of hesitation flashed through his eyes. Perfect.

"Can I help you, Officer?" He replied calmly.

"Yes, you can help me by telling me what you Joishishi are really targeting." With those words he grabbed the man's head and shoved it into the ground. "And you better start talking now."

"W-What are you doing? I'm just a wandering priest."

"And I'm just an innocent little girl who got involved in a huge mess by talking to a cat. Spit out the words before I make you spit out your teeth." He lazily drawled.

"This is abuse of power! Harassment!" The man screeched, making multiple heads turn towards the duo.

Okita shook his head in disappointment. "You're the one harassing me here, dear sir. Refusing to cooperate with an officer of the law, what will your mother only think of you now?."

"Do you really think you can get away with talking to me like that?!"

"Fiiine." The Shinsengumi Captain sighed. "Tell me before I smash your face in even further, please."

"You fucking bastard!"

"I'll add insulting a police officer to your wrongdoings."

"Fuck you! You'll never get to the castle in time anyway, Bakufu Lap Dog!" He seethed.

"This is your punishment for not heading the advice the police has given you." The sadistic captain announced before crushing the man's face into the ground once more and bringing his radio to his mouth.

"This is Captain Okita with a message to all squads. The priests are a distraction. I repeat the priests are a distraction! The real target is the castle! All available members head there immediately!"

"Roger!"

"Right away, sir!"

"Are you sure about that, Sougo?"

Recognizing the last voice as Kondo's, he replied, "I have a reliable source.", glancing down at the still form on the ground.

"So they don't really trust me, do they?" A male voice mused. "But I wonder, do you trust me, Leader?"

The red-haired Yato looked at the man opposite of her, the dishevelled black hair, the bandage wrapped across his face, the purple-yellow kimono and the pipe resting in his right hand.

To be completely honest, she had expected Shinsuke Takasugi to look… different. While his appearance might be off-throwing, his aura did not lie. He was a cold-blooded killer, just like herself.

"I don't trust anybody. Especially not suspicious looking men like you." She retorted.

The setting sun was making the alley flood in soft crimson light.

He chuckled. "That's a good principle in life." He brought his pipe to his lips and exhaled the smoke slowly.

"Is there something you needed, Takasugi-san?" She brought them back to topic.

"Ah yes. You said your name was Kagura, right?" He asked for confirmation.

She replied with a curt nod. "If that is all, we are in the middle of an operation here."

"You're quite a sly woman, are you not?" He smirked at her. "What use is this operation if we both know the Shogun isn't here?"

She found herself amused at the surprise she felt in that moment. It was always a possibility that others would find out about the fake-out, but she didn't expect it to be this man.

"Showing that you can step on someone's property without any qualms always unsettles the owner, doesn't it?" She argued confidently, an innocent smile spreading over her face.

"Hmmm? I see."

"Would that be all, Takasugi?"

"Just one more thing." He held up one finger. Kagura raised her eyebrow in a questioning motion.

"Yes?"

"Remember not to trust anybody, Seventh Squad Captain."

Kagura scowled as the man disappeared into the alley shadows. He clearly knew more than he let on, not to mention her real identity.

She looked at the setting sun and briefly took note of the rather uncharacteristic clouds forming in the sky.

Things were going according to plan. Katsura signalled his men to assault the unsuspecting castle guards and the group moved in through the gates once all guards were lying sprawled across the floor, unresponding.

The sun had just dipped past the horizon, masking Edo in the darkness of the night. A few more guards dropped to the ground as the Joi Rebels moved on and infiltrated the castle.

Katsura trusted Leader to handle the situation outside of the gates, so his attention was focused on the maze of a castle rather than the weird-looking clouds covering the black sky.

Abuto took a deep breath of the chilly night air. He observed the ensuing chaos below him and tried spotting his homicidal maniac of a captain, but to no avail. He sighed while praying she wasn't doing anything too stupid, wondering how he would ever explain what happened to the admiral.

His gaze fell on the moon instead. The moon and the dark shadows blocking his view of the bright stars.

Kamui gazed at the sky. Those were definitely not clouds.

He had overheard the situation update through one of the Shinsengumi officers who had just happened to be in the vicinity of his hearing ability.

After running into Gin-san and Glasses the Yorozuya trio decided to put a stop to it (after an old lady told them she'd give them a huge reward if they put an end to the noise).

"What is it, Kamui?!" Gintoki shouted over the background noise as they sped down the road on his trusty two-wheeler.

"The sky!" Kamui released one hand from Sadaharu's collar and pointed upwards. "Look at the clouds!"

Shinpachi and Gintoki turned their heads towards the sky and gasped at the silhouettes making their way through the dark smoke.

"Is that…"

"Is that…" Both started.

"… a space ship?"

"…Laputa?"

AN: I still don't own anything, and I know that some characters (*cough*Kiheitai*cough*) were OOC but this is just a fanfic, after all.

Lots of short snippets this time, and getting closer and closer to the action!

On a short side note, I don't know if you realized while reading, but in this fic Kagura and Princess Soyo are friends as in canonverse. There will be a one-shot on how that happened (either as a bonus chapter here or a seperate one-shot) and I'll make sure to announce its exact whereabouts once I post it.

Let me know what you thought about this chapter ;)

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

~Emi