When Kamui landed on the ship like Mary Poppins herself, some low-class samurais greeted him before to lead him to the bunkers where "Takasugi-sama" was supposed to wait for him.
Next thing he knew, the heavy metal doors closed and the men surrounding both him and the Kiheitai's Leader fired their weapons at the Yato. Swirling his open umbrella like a shield, he repelled their attacks. As expected, this poor stage was nothing but a trap.
While Kamui blocked Takasugi's sword with his purple sunshade, an arrow aimed at him flew behind his back. Casually, the Yato grabbed the pike with barehand but its spear scratched his skin.
More tickled than hurt, Kamui laughed at his opponent's tricks.
-Ha ha~ seems like Abuto was right~ he admitted. Well, whatever! He shrugged. After all, this won't stop me from killing you~
His smile widened creepily and his eyes shone with excitation.
-Kill? Chimed the eyepatch man. No one will die today.
-Oh, really~? What are these murderous vibes and vain attempts to skewer me, then?
-Well, you're not really the kind of target one should take lightly… though it's only a matter of time, now…
Feeling his body growing limp and his vision blurry, Kamui slightly wobbled, trying to keep his balance.
-Guess it's finally making effects~ Did you notice by now? Sneered Takasugi. These arrows are poisoned.
-Heeeh~ I heard you were sneaky but I'd never thought you'd use such low tactics~ taunted the Yato.
-Thanks that stupid Admiral of yours for that! Retorted the samurai. That useless Amanto can't even take care of his own men by himself! He spat.
If Kamui and Abuto had anticipated the possibility for the Bakufu to betray the Harusame -or at least the clueless Admiral Abo- the redhead never suspected the high-ranked Amanto to trick the best of all his units, all the more when said traitor always longed for the young Yato's body...
-What is that supposed to mean? Inquired Kamui, now awfully curious about the unexpected news.
-Seems like you Yatos of the 7th division have become quite famous… Too much for his taste actually 'cause you're all scaring his shitty ass. How ironic! Laughed Takasugi. In order to join the Harusame, us Kihetai have been ordered to kill the Heads of that 'lightning spear' squadron of yours…
"The Heads…?"
-To be honest, he pursued, I think it's really a shame to get rid of so talented people like you…
-You said… the Heads? Pointed the Yato as he frowned dangerously.
-Yours is safe, reassured the samurai. The Admiral Abo couldn't support to lose his favorite little Captain~ …for your subordinates on the other hand… well, that's another matter.
Kamui didn't feel amused anymore.
-I heard one of them was your little sister? Trumped Takasugi. Too bad that creepy guy is only into males!
Yes, he really wasn't amused anymore...
Realizing what horrible mistake he had done, the Yato felt like burning inside.
Despite the never-ending complaints of Abuto, Kamui had purposely chosen to go alone, thinking that Kagura would be safer on the ship with the old man.
However, these two were probably attacked by now and he wasn't even there to guard the back of his sister... also, judging by the turn of events, he surely wouldn't be able to do anything as his limbs felt number over time.
Very little were the times when Kamui had been seriously angry. This time was one of them, though.
Actually, he didn't remember having ever felt so damn pissed off. Right now more than ever, he wanted to rip some heads off and not as a mere entertainment this time, but as a real necessity. His frustration was such that it drove him to abandon his favorite umbrella in order to jump at the samurai's throat.
Takasugi didn't have time nor space to unsheathe his katana but still managed to block the Yato's blow with his scabbard. His followers, outraged to see their leader attacked, rushed toward the redhead.
Their number was great, but their strength was nothing for Kamui even with his current handicap. He easily killed all his weak attackers but more kept coming and he wondered when he'd finally see the end of them.
Meanwhile, with his usual lack of concernment, Takasugi let his men and the Yato alone while casually walking back to his quarters.
The samurai knew the Amanto would fall at one point, so he'd just have to wait until then. Not like someone of his prestige would bother to entertain a youngster like him, no matter how strong and powerful he was or even if the man was the so famous 7th division's Captain.
Kagura was about to leave the bleeding Abuto alone when intruders barged into the room.
Judging by their clothes, she assumed they were earthlings and without a doubt these famous samurais... nothing to be impressed actually, but their ready-to-fight stance and heavy blood stench made her frown.
Without a word, the men unsheathed their swords and bluntly attacked the Yatos. Kagura killed two of them in one blow and stopped a third to slice the disabled veteran.
The old Yato laughed at the girl who, after trying to kill him and ripping one of his arms off had just saved his life! With his remaining arm, he impaled another samurai with the tip of his umbrella.
-Hurry! He yelled at the girl. Go grab that idiot's ass and bring him back! We'll handle things here!
Needing no more talking, Kagura nodded to him and quickly opened a way among the enemies to reach the outside.
Kamui was at his limits.
These damn humans weren't strong, but they were so numerous that some of them managed to hit him while he killed the others. He had taken more arrows because of this and the poison was already deep into his system. He mainly focused on his sharp instinct since his senses were kind of down.
His body was sore and he felt sleepy... so sleepy that his eyelids closed.
-KAMUIIII!
The voice screaming his name woke him up from his daze.
Kamui didn't have to see her face to recognize the shouts of his little sister. What was she doing here? Was she alone? And where was this useless Abuto? Was he dead? ...too many questions... too tired... ah, whatever.
In a hurry to help her other half, Kagura couldn't waste any second. Rather than killing each one of the samurais with her hands, she preferred to quickly knock them off with strong and wide range kicks.
As if she was dancing with them, the Yato rhythmically threw her long and powerful legs at her attackers. She dodged their sharp blades by spinning on her feet or with smooth and quick backward walkovers, sometimes using their bodies as living shields.
Suddenly noticing the wobbles of her brother behind this human wall, she sped up her moves in a fit of panic.
Time flowed in slow motion while she escaped from the never-ending samurais' grasp. With her cat-like agility, she jumped over one of them by using his sword as a steppingstone.
Her eyes locked on Kamui, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him slowly falling on his knees as he was losing consciousness. Worried to death, she ran— no, she dashed towards the crowd blocking her way before to fall on her bottom, sliding under the legs of her enemies while she prayed God to let her catch her brother before he'd crash to the ground.
She sighed in relief when her chest cushioned his fall just in time.
-Kamui?
His body limp against her, she felt him slipping away from her grip.
-Stay with me, Kamui!
Shaking him desperately, his head swayed at each jolt.
-WAKE UP!
His eyes definitely closed, the young man didn't answer her calls.
She clicked her tongue, cursing the damn earthlings gradually gathering around them.
"Shit!"
Supporting her brother's body, Kagura fought the best she could, managing to open a path for the both of them to escape.
Once they were back to the deck, a blonde-haired woman came to stop their rush.
-You won't get away! She shouted before to pull the trigger of her guns.
Kagura quickly threw her sleeping brother on a side while jumping on the other to avoid the shots. Alas, a bullet managed to pass through the flesh of her arm.
-ARGH!
The hard floor woke up Kamui when it abruptly hit his whole body. Sluggish, he hardly opened his eyes in an attempt to check on his sister when the clashing sound of gunshots froze him on the spot.
As if time had slowed, he eyed the bullets, whistling as they flew out from the weapon. With nothing to stop their course, the metallic heads pursued their way toward Kagura before to end into her chest, going through her skin and flesh with ease.
His eyes widened in fright.
Kagura gasped at the pain, her brows knitting in anger. Surprise soon appeared on her pale face at the next wave of shots she didn't expect. The silky fabric of her red dress became darker with her blood.
The blonde didn't stop for all that and her fingers pulled the trigger once more. New bullets flew and crashed lower into the Yato's stomach, making her body limp and her gaze gradually empty.
The time of a heartbeat, and Kagura fell to the floor with a loud thud, a warm and red puddle growing around her.
Kamui's heart stopped beating, his blood growing cold with fear he had never felt before.
He would have gladly rushed to his sister, but his brain didn't want to record what he had just witnessed.
Before he could even understand, his Yato blood soon boiled into his veins. At the same time, the last chain holding back his sanity broke and his whole body overflowed with such tremendous power that it was somewhat painful.
In less than a second, he was standing in front of the shooter as if he had been miraculously brought back from the dead.
For the first time in his life, the Yato didn't send off his prey with a smile but with a cold and deadly glare. If looks could kill, this one would certainly have. But looks can't kill, so the bloody monster within Kamui just thrust his hand deep into the woman's chest.
Holding her beating heart in the palm of his hand, he read all her confused feelings mixing together in her eyes. Surprise, shock, pain, fear, regrets… as if he could see everything of her petty and insignificant life streaming before him.
Scornfully, he cored the human and mashed the tender and very source of her life, silently watching her light fading away from her gaze. Her holed body slumped like a mere bag of meat.
Kamui followed right after when the furious beast in him fell back to sleep. His brief moment of strength left as quickly as it came.
Back to his numb state, the Yato was left with no choice but to crawl toward the inert body of his dearest one.
-Kagura…
Utterly drained out, his limbs refused to move farther.
-Ka…mu…i…
Full of hope, his heart raced at the sound of a voice he thought he would never hear again.
Unfortunately, his sister wasn't safe and sound either...
Kagura could barely breathe, choking on her own blood while the air escaped from her pierced lungs and her cerulean eyes seemed to silently scream in pain.
The best he could, Kamui weakly stretched his arm a few more, his shaking hand laboriously reaching in her direction.
"More!" he ordered to himself mentally. "Just a little more… and we'll be together…"
Their fingertips were almost touching.
"Together… for ever…"
Her hand quivered as she desperately tried to get closer, her nails scratching the floorboards in vain.
Suddenly, a strong siren resounded within the two exhausted Yatos' ears.
-This is the Shinsengumi! You're encircled! Drop the weapons and put your hands in the air!
Before they could process what was happening, Kamui felt his body lifted up in the air while the last centimeter separating the two lovers became wider.
The last thing Kamui saw was the sight of his sister drowning into her own blood while hope and life were leaving her lone and saddened gaze. His heart crumbled into pieces while he struggled to keep his eyelids open. A hard and painful lump strangled his throat, salty waves swelling into his closing eyes.
The last thing Kagura saw was the sight of her brother being carried away while fighting to stay awake, rage and pain invading his desperate and dejected blue eyes.
She tried to remember his radiant smile she loved so much since she felt his current face hurting much more than her lethal wounds. And though she was freezing, her lips curled at the heartwarming memory.
She spat more blood before her eyelids slowly closed in their turn. She was so, oh so damn tired...
Abuto wasn't in his best form but nonetheless laughed, recalling how these two troublemaker and idiot siblings had already made him seen far worse than that!
For a time, he thought that the seventh squad was winning the fight as the samurais were falling one after another, but what he didn't expect was to meet with the eighth and their weapons raised against them...
-You don't look that good, Abuto, sneered the dog-like Captain. What happened to your arm?
-Just thought I could replace it with a hook like yours~ He mocked back.
-The fight ends here, announced coldly the Amanto. We've got Kamui so stay nice and follow my orders
The Yato didn't let anything appear, but he didn't like the way things were turning.
The 8th division got that idiot? Seriously?! How? How did these jerks manage something like this?! He was genuinely curious to learn the trick! After all, it was not an easy task to beat—
Wait a sec... What about the young lady?
-It's nothing personal, confessed the Amanto. Just following orders from above, he explained.
Laughing loudly, he couldn't hide his jealousy toward the young redhead.
-You're all lucky the Admiral loves Kamui so much, he scoffed.
Uh-oh. If the Admiral was really behind this mess, the old Yato feared what happened to the girl as he knew these two hated each other...
-Oi, oi… Don't tell me you also got my big-breasted counterpart? Laughed nervously the veteran.
-Huh? Oh, you mean Kagura, right?
The dog smirked.
-She sure has her good points for a woman… but I like them more obedient, you see. Too bad she's a monster! He mocked. She could have been more than useful, but… to be honest, she gives me the creeps! We'll all feel better without her. That's just how it is in th—
-Wait, wait…! What do you mean, exactly?! Sweated Abuto.
"For real?! Someone like her?! What kinda joke is that?!"
Chapter inspired from the 215th episode of Gintama - which I suggest you to (re)watch 'cause it's just too badass~
PS: New Gintama's season begins TODAY~!