Chapter 5

Once everyone left and only Gin, Shinpachi, Kagura and Umibozou were there, the Yato man spoke up, "I need to ask you two a favor."

"Ah, what now Hage? It's my birthday and-" he stopped when he saw Kagura's face as tears threatened to fall.

Umibozou cleared his throat and continued, "You know how I'm an alien hunter, it seems I have another job already. I need to leave in the morning so I just wanted to ask you, can I Ieave my Kagura-chan in your care again until I return?"

"When will you be back?" the otaku megane asked quietly.

"I plan to be back for Christmas, so will you?" the father questioned.

Gin got up , went over to Umibozou and put his hands on his shoulders. All he did was say, "You don't even have to ask, Hage. She's always welcome here and so are you."

"Thanks pu-I mean Gin, this means a lot to me. Kagura-chan, I'll be back as soon as I can," her Papi said before his daughter tackled him for a hug.

"Well, I'm going home now. Bye Gin-san, Kagura-chan, Umibozou-san," Shinpachi said to his friends.

"Bye megane, see you tomorrow!" Kagura teased.

"See ya Shinpachi," Gin said simply.

"See you next time, kid," Umibozou told him before he left.

She let out a yawn before saying, "I'm exhausted, I'm going to go to bed, Gin-chan, Papi."

"Let's go down to Babaa's and have a drink first old man," the younger man suggested to the Yato man.

He quipped, "Sure punk, one drink. I'll be up soon Kagura-chan."

She smiled at her Papi and at Gin before she went to get ready for bed.

Gin and Umibozou went down to Otose's ssnack bar for a drink and started chatting when the sweets addict asked, "Are you going to try to kill me if she's in my futon again?"

He sighed and replied, "No but I will glare like a basilisk. What's so great about your futon anyhow?"

"She said she missed me and that it was more reminds me of that night she had insomnia," Gin said as he related the tale to her father.

They both snickered and outright laughed at the story and Umibozou asked, "Sounds like my little Kagura-chan! What did you do after all that?"

"I sure as hell didn't sleep, that's for sure!" he exclaimed, as he sipped his shochu.

"She's never been a cook either, once when shhe was five..." her Papi relayed as the sweets samurai listened.

Gin laughed then inquired, "So she nearly blew up the kitchen? No wonder she never makes anything but eggs over riceor something like it."

"Okay, our "one" drink turned into five, we should turn in. I have to leave pretty early and all," Umibozou said a bit sadly.

"Sure Hage," he answered before they left to go back upstairs.

Gin went to make up his bed on the couch while Umibozou went into Gin's room where he found Kagura, sleeping in Gin's futon again. She looked like he remembered as a little girl.

"Kagura?" he said as she was spread all over but curled into the futon.

When she heard his voice, she said sleepily, "Papi..."

His daughter pulled him to lay with her so he took off his coat to go to sleep. Umibozou hugged his daughter as she hugged him too. They slept until five o'clock when he had to leave for the terminal.

"Kagura-chan, I need to go now," he said in a whisper.

Sadly, Kagura whimpered, "But Papi..."

"I'll be back soon, my baby girl," the Yato man reassured her as he kissed her head before getting up to dress.

While they had slept, Gin had woken at two o'clock from a nightmare about the war. He sighed and went to sit up and watch television, which is how Umibozou found him when he came out to head to the terminal.

"Gin, what are you up for? Kagura-chan always said you didn't wake up until noon," the older Yato man questioned curiously.

Gin sighed and said, "I couldn't sleep, it's just that simple. Besides, they have something I want on the shopping channel."

"There's more to it, tell me," Umibozou requested as he scanned the younger man's face.

Gin looks at him, sighed and answered, "You know I was in the Joui war? Well, I have nightmares about what happened there, lost comrades, my sensei. Didn't Kagura ever say anything?"

"Why would she? All she ever told me was how you were in the war and something sad happened. Kagura-chan said that it wasn't hers to tell," the father asked perplexed.

He seemed surprised but replied, "Never mind, I should have figured she wouldn't say anything. Kagura would say that."

"Do you have these often? She's never mentioned-" Umibozou started to say before Gin interrupted.

"She doesn't know about the nightmares, I only told her and Shinpachi about my past," the young samurai told him.

"Why? You didn't tell her about these nightmares but about the cause of them, it doesn't make sense," the alien hunter questioned.

Gin sighed and said, "She'd just worry, please don't tell anyone."

Oddly, the look on the younger man's face convinced the Yato man to nod his answer.

"Thanks Hage. See ya when you get back," the sweets samurai said meaningfully.

Umibozou smiled and replied, "I have to go but Kagura is up. I wanted to say goodbye, she'll go back to sleep soon enough. Please take care of my baby girl."

Gin smiled too and told him, "Take care and come back, I'll keep her safe. Don't worry so much, she'll write you again."

The older Yato man nodded, gathered his belongings and left to the terminal.

The sweets addict sighed and went over to his room and opened the stood Kagura in her pink pajamas of long ago, now tailored to fit her, with what looked like tears starting to fall.

"He left," she said, sniffing.

Gin nodded while she cried before she grabbed his shirt and buried her face in it. He hugged her, turned her face to him and wiped her tears.

"Hage will be back, don't worry so much brat," the sweets samurai said to reassure her.

She sniffed again and looked up at him before asking, "Gin-chan, can you stay with me?"

"Gah, you had to cry didn't you? You know samurai are weak to women's tears! Alright, let's go to bed then," Gin said as he gave in.

As they were walking to the bedroom, something dawned on him.

With a slight tense mark on his temple, he asked her, "Kagura, did you hear my conversation with your old man?"

She turned her head and said, "Um, no."

Gin'e eye twitched for a second before sighing and saying, "Forget it, we'll talk later at a decent hour."

He went inside with Kagura as he shut the door. Gin went to lay in his futon but Kagura cuddled up next to him.

"Kagura," he groaned but, since she refused to let go, he sighed and gave in.

They lay covered in the blanket in the futon as he started to fall asleep. Gin's arms wrapped around her as she snuggled into him before they drifted off to sleep until noon.