Gin sighed and mentioned, "It's hard to believe that was almost three years ago huh?"
"Yeah, I still don't like how people look at her," Umibozou stated again.
"It's just been so long Umibozou-san, she looks so different is all it is,"Shinpachi tried to reassure the older man.
Gin snorted as he said, "No duh she looks different, if Hage hadn't said that was her then I would have no idea who was glomping me!"
Kagura stuck her tongue out at that statement, which caused a tense mark to pop on the silver-haired samurai's forehead.
Before he could say anything, Hijikata told Okita and Kondou that they had to go back to work. Dejectedly, the young captain muttered under his breath about killing the fukuchou while the commander kissed his wife on the cheek before the three men left.
"Enjoy you tea Kagura-chan, Shin-chan, Gin-san, Umibozou-san. I have to get back to work," Otae told them before leaving.
When she left, Gin shouted at Kagura, who was teasing him, "So you think you're so great that you grew up brat? What, do you want to get groped with that attitude?"
(A virtual cookie for whoever realizes where I got that quote of Gin's from! Lol)
After he said that and made hand motions of groping with his hands, Umibozou shouted angrily saying, "What do you think you're saying? I'll kill you!"
But before either of them could get up or even raise a finger, Kagura shot them a look that stopped them in their tracks.
"Don't. even. think. about. it. Got it?" the young Yato woman said in and authoritative tone.
Those two gulped and Shinpachi chuckled, "It's your own faults, you guys should know better."
Once the atmosphere settled down, they finished their tea. Umibozou got up and decided to leave them to themselves for a bit.
"I'm going to go back and relax, Kagura-chan you can go enjoy yourself with your friends," the father told his precious daughter.
She hugged him and whispered, "Arigato Papi, get some rest."
Smiling, Umibozou left to the Yorozuya while the three of them were deciding what to do now.
"Babaa hasn't seen you yet, let's go there first," Gin suggested.
On their way to see Otose, they ran into many including Katsura, Elizabeth,, Ikumatsu, Hasegawa, Saigou, Hedoro and more.
First to bump into them was Katsura, who was walking with Elizabeth and Ikumatsu.
When the former Jouishi saw Kagura, he exclaimed happily, "Leader, you're back! Welcome!"
Katsura ran and hugged her as she said happily, "Zura! I missed you!"
Ikumatsu cleared her throat, trying to get their attention but since that didn't work; Gin decided to bop him on the head instead.
"Gintoki!" the long-haired man questioned in confusion, "Why did you hit me?"
A tense mark pulsed at his temple when he answered, "Your girlfriend tried to get your attention so I had to do something, baka."
When the hug broke, and Katsura scratched the back of his head sheepishly, Kagura looked confused.
"Girlfriend?" she asked.
Ikumatsu spoke up, "We got together a year ago Kagura-chan, sorry that we couldn't tell you earlier."
"Oh, well I guess I missed a lot huh? At least you two finally got together, Gin-chan always said Zura was in love with you!" the young red-headed woman said, first a bit sad but happy too.
The ramen chef smiled and said, "It's good to see you well and happy, these guys missed you so badly! They were a wreck, so lost without you."
"Hey now Ikumatsu, don't exaggerate so much," Gin tried to tell her as he silently admonished her for giving them away.
Feeling left out, Elizabeth smacked Katsura with his sign.
"Oh, I'm sorry Elizabeth. I didn't mean to ignore you. He missed you as well Leader," the former terrorist told Kagura.
She smiled and said, "I missed you too Eli! I saw some Renho on the way to Earth, they send good wishes to you!"
He held up a sign that said, 'Thank you.'
"We have to get going but see you guys later ok?" Gin said as they waved.
Katsura, Ikumatsu and Elizabeth left waving as the Yorozuya moved toward their destination.
As they continued on their way, Hasegawa shouted, "Hey, Gin-san, Shinpachi-kun, I see your monster girl is back!"
"Madao, hi! I am back finally!" the Yato girl exclaimed cheerfully.
Once they greeted each other, the man said matter-of-factly, "You know, you can't call me Madao anymore."
"Really? Why?" she asked as she cocked her head to the side.
He smiled as he said, "I work for Otae-san as the financial manager at her tea shop. Hatsu and I are doing well."
Clearly shocked, Kagura said, "Wait, do you mean-"
"We reconciled about six months ago acually. You see, I'm a former Madao now," the former Madao said, proud of himself.
She smiled and joked, "Now Gin-chan is the only Madao!"
Gin frowned and said, "Whatever, let's go now. See ya, you traitor Hasegawa-san."
"Bye guys!" the jovial man shouted as he headed home and the Yorozuya headed on their way.
They ran into Saigou outside of the store as he exclaimed, "Wow, is that really Kagura? You've grown into such a beauty!"
Kagura bashfully replied, "You think so? I thought Papi was overreacting or something like usual."
Surprised, Saigou told her, "I'm surprised you aren't beating guys off actually."
"Papi's been doing that actually but I guess that's why people have been staring huh?" the young woman said in embarrassment.
Shinpachi chuckled, "They probably don't recognize you, you look so different now."
Gin mumbled under his breath, "Damn pigs, undressing her with their eyes."
"Well, I have to go. I was just picking up dinner for Teru-kun and everyone. Ja!" Saigou told them before heading off.
When they get close to the Yorozuya, they see Hedoro outside his shop next door to them.
Even though Shinpachi and Gin froze up at the sight of the Dakini, Kagura loudly shouted, "Hi Hedoro!"
Shocked at her actions, they tried to do something but Hedoro replied, "I heard that you had come back, it seems I missed you earlier."
Easily, Kagura went to talk to him as she chatted amiably about her travels.
"I was with my Papi and we were hunting aliens. Oh, these were only those bad aliens that attack and kill people and such so don't worry about it, Hedoro,"she explained as best she could.
Both Gin and Shinpachi stood speechless as she conversed with him like it was nothing until she came back to them, after waving goodbye to the Dakini flower shop owner.
"How-how did you-how can you talk to him now?" Shinpachi stammered as Gin nodded in agreement.
Kagura blinked and said, "That's easy, I've seen way scarier aliens than him with Papi on our travels!"
She said it so simply that they stood transfixed for a minute before they heard a familiar voice call them.
"Gintoki-sama, Shinpachi-sama, Kagura-sama!"
Kagura lit up and shouted, "Tama!" as she ran to hug the robot maid.
While they hugged, Gin and Shinpachi smiled at their reunion. Tama then led them inside the snack bar to see Otose behind the counter while Catherine sat at a booth, smoking a cigarette.
When the cat-eared Amanto saw Kagura, she was shocked and almost dropped her cigarette as she spat out, "Pig girl?"
Grinning, she said, "The one and only Gura-san, sweeper of aliens is here! Make me some rice and I'll show you!"
Otose raised her eyebrow but made some rice and, when it was done, the young woman took the rice cooker from the older woman. Kagura took the cooker and, within ten minutes, had finished the entire pot while licking her fingers.
"That's her alright," Catherine said in a deadpan tone and Otose just shook her head at the Yato girl.
Tama said simply, "As much as things change, some things always stay the same."
After Kagura had finished eating, the three sat at the bar with Catherine as Tama stood by them.
"So pig girl, I bet you don't even have a boyfriend? I just got married three months ago so I don't have to worry about that anymore," the cat-eared Amanto said smugly.
In retaliation, Kagura countered, "Oh so there are men out there that want middle age cat ladies? If I want a boyfriend, I could get one within a day baka."
Angry, she yelled, "I'm not a cat lady, I'm an Amanto! There is a difference!"
At the bar, Otose wiped a glass and stated, "So not much has changed huh?"
Gin chuckled and said, "Not much. Can I have a beer?"
She gave him a beer while Shinpachi smiled and agreed, "Yeah, same old, same old."
Once they saw Otose and the others, they went outside to kill time before they went inside for dinner. Here they ran into Hijikata and Okita as they were there, across the street with a few more officers.
"Hey China, what are you up to?" the sadist asked when he saw her.
Kagura glared and stuck her tongue out at him, which caused Hijikata to remark, "Oi, Sougo, China, stop flirting. Unlike you guys, we have work to do."
With the heat of a thousand suns, both Okita and Kagura glared as they simultaneously shrieked, "Never with him/her!"
(Another virtual cookie for whoever knows what movie that line is from!)
This response actually caused the normally cool fukuchou to erupt in laughter as Shinpachi said, "You two were really in sync, right Gin-san?"
When Shinpachi turned and saw, momentarily, a scowl on the normally bored-looking face.
Confused, he asked, "Gin-san?"
"Hm, what Pattusan?" the older samurai asked without even realizing consciously that he was scowling.
"Nothing, it's nothing," the megane dismissed.
Hijikata also saw the same scowl but decided not to even inquire.
"I still can't believe how you said that right as China was, incredible," the mayo addict said as he chuckled.
Just then, a bazooka was fired that just missed the fukuchou's head by a few hairs.
"Sougo!" Hijikata cursed heavily at the young man, as if that was an obscenity.
"Damn, you moved," Okita said with a frown on his face, partly turned away from his superior.
Eye twitching, tense mark pulsing on his temple and chewing hard on his cigarette, the mayo samurai shouted loudly, "Get back to work now!"
"Fine, whatever," as the young captain muttered and rolled his eyes.
Once the Shinsengumi left, the trio headed up to the Yorozuya building as Shinpachi realized it was nearly dinner time.
When Gin, Shinpachi and Kagura ran up the stairs and walked in the door, they saw Umibozou standing in the doorway to the living room.
"Kagura-chan, Shinpachi, Punk. I just got up but are we going to eat soon?" the balding man inquired.
Kagura smiled and hugged her Papi as Shinpachi answered, "Yeah, it's nearly dinner time so we'll get started right, Gin-san?"
Frowning, Gin nodded to Shinpachi but told Umibozou, "The name is Gin, not punk, got it?"
"Yeah, ok Gin then," the older Yato man conceded while he went to watch television. The two younger men went to start dinner as Kagura went to feed Sadaharu in the living room.
Once she fed her pet, Kagura sat by her Papi as they watched together.
At the first chance, her father cleared his throat and started, "So Kagura, you seem so happy to be back."
His daughter seemed perplexed and asked, "Of course i am but why are you so nervous?"
Hesitantly, Umibozou confessed, "I actually have another job to do and I need to leave for soon."
With a sad expression on her face, the young woman asked, "Soon?"
With a sigh, he replied, "At dawn. The planet is quite far from here but I will be back by Christmas honey."
"Ah, that's it then," she said with a small voice.
He hugged his daughter and said quietly, "I'll send letters and pictures,, I'll even bring a Christmas present with me when I come back."
"Okay Papi," Kagura responded as she hugged him back.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I tried to get this ready as soon as possible. I had it written but I had to type it up and post it. I hope you like it, it shouldn't feel rushed since this would have been in chapter 2. Hijioki fans and Kamui fans should be anticipating upcoming chapters, without giving too much away, they will come soon enough! Ja ne!
