Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Chapter 13

"Sadist, get off me! I'll report you for sexual harassment!"

BOOM~

Hotsuma crashes through the wall, creating big hole. He rolls on the floor many folds and bounces to hit the old Hotsuma hard across the room. And out came Kamui from the hole in the wall, his smile spread on his face like a tooth fairy… if a tooth fairy can release dark aura like a demon, that is.

Kamui glances down at Okita who is currently still on top of Kagura, and he knows without doubts that this is, indeed, a sexual harassment. But the shock still hit Kamui harder than he thought it would.

"Off." He orders in the very calm tone. But even so, Okita can detect the deadly intentions behind Kamui's calm surface. The intentions that threaten to take his life. "Get. Off. Now."

"That would be difficult… You see, I think my leg is injured." Okita tempts the angry Kamui amusingly and pretend to collapse on the wiggling Kagura. "I'm not moving anywhere just yet."

"Sadist, you bastard! You are so freaking heavy!" Kagura pushes from under, not being able to see that little sadistic smirk on her opponent's face. Kamui's smile turns into a frown as he grabs Okita by his collar from behind. With his superior Yato strength, he flings Okita up in one swift motion. Okita fly like a bird.

But Okita isn't a bird, he is a human. He doesn't have feathers and light bones. His brain maybe small (according to Hijikata), but he is still a human. Okita remembers at that precise moment that he had flew countless times before during the opening of their anime (don't believe me? Go back and take a look at the openings!), but this is different. For a second, the prince of Sadists looks up at the ship's ceiling and thought:

Ah, the sky is so gray…Wait… That's just a ceiling.

Kagura watches as Okita falls to the ground with a loud thud. She laughs with no empathy or whatsoever concerns normal people should feel.

"BWAAHAHA! Here died by his own stupidity is Okita Sougo! Now, let us pray that his poor, dark soul shall never reach heaven and fall into the darkest pit of hell…"

"China, I'm not dead yet. I will do whatever it takes to live a second longer than you and Hijikata-san." Okita's corpse speaks face down on the ground. Kamui walks by and raises his feet, ready to strike the final blow into the guy who'd harassed his sister.

"Then, shall I let make that statement false?"

Okita flips over and rolls to the side, avoiding the powerful stomp from Kamui and got up on his feet. That's when he'd noticed both Hotsuma(s) have recovered from the crash earlier.

"You son of a…" The younger Hotsuma pushes himself off the floor and runs head on at Kamui furiously. Kamui dodges the attack with ease and accurately put Hotsuma into a head lock, ready to break his neck.

"Fighting with you was fun, friend," He smiles. "But it is about time we end this. Take a deep breath and get ready~"

"Wait!" The old Hotsuma yells from his spot. "Wait! He is not who you think he is!"

Kamui squint his eyes in the dim light. His brows tie into a knot as he tries to see that figure in the dark. "Yoda- sama? What are you doing here?"

"Eh?" Okita and Kagura turn their head towards him in disbelief.

Kamui continues; "are you here to collect the debt from that time when I asked you to train my umbrella skills and then just left without paying you? About that… Abuto forced me to leave because we weren't so rich back then…"

"You got the real Yoda to train you?!" Kagura yells in frustration. "That's so unfair! All I got was a guy in Gin-chan's lake Toya sword and he wasn't even useful!"

Kamui turns to his sister and gets a good look at Yoda one more time. He'd then realise that the one who is standing in front of him is not Yoda. "Thank god you are not him! I thought that he would ask to join anime Gintama as compensation or something. I wouldn't know what to say to the producers!"

The Mayo-talkie in Kagura's pocket comes to life. Shinpachi's voice breaks through.

"Um… Just so you know, Star W*rs is even more famous than our anime. I don't think that even if the real Yoda is here, he would ask for that kind of compensation, Kamui-san. Over."

"Shinpachi!" Kagura responds in surprise. She thought that the Mayo-talkie is already broken. "Where are you? How can you hear our conversation? Over."

"We are in the ceiling right above you, Kagura-chan. Our group went to the control head quarter earlier and found some mismatch files about the Kumoto history facts. We knew something was wrong so we followed you instructions which lead us to here… but we can't get down from the ceiling…"

"What the hell are you doing on the ceiling? Over."

"Kondo-san told me that it is easier to get to where you are by climbing in the ceiling. Over."

Kagura sighs. "Of course he would know. He spent half of his life there, stalking your sister. Shinpachi, are you turning into a stalker too? Should I lock the closet door from now on? Over."

"W… Wait a second! I'm not turning into a stalker like him! I'm just…!"

"Shinpachi-kun," Kondo's voice comes through and Kagura can just imagine him patting Shinpachi's shoulder, "when I first realised that I was a stalker, it shocked me. But after a while, you'll come into term with your true self. Just accept it and join my 'stalk Otae-san' club."

"My true self is not a stalker!" Shinpachi screeches. There was a sound of fighting between Shinpachi and Kondo. Before long, Kagura can hear a struggling sound on the ceiling above her and then Yamazaki, Shinpachi and Kondo tumble down, breaking a big crack in the metal ceiling.

"Ow…" Yamazaki who landed face first groans. Shinpachi got up to look at Kagura and says:

"Kagura-chan, I'm not a stalker."

"Well, you are clearly developing into one." Kagura replies and throws him the dirtiest look. Shinpachi then turns to Yamazaki who is still groaning and holding his head.

"Yamazaki-san, you were the one who blew up the whole ceiling with a bomb without even warning us. How come you are the one who got hurt the most?"

"I'm… who am I?" Asks Yamazaki with a blank look on his face. His eyes ridiculously big like a Jusaway. Shinpachi's glasses tints to the side and he yells.

"You lost your memories?! Yamazaki-san! Is there anything you have on you to get your memories back? Like… Anpan?"

Yamazaki reaches inside his ninja Shinsengumi uniform and pulls out a small notebook. It was his diary. Shinpachi flips through the pages gratefully and started reading for Yamazaki in hope of reminding him bits of his life and gain back his memories.

"I sparked Anpan into the clerk's face today."

"I sparked Anpan into the target's face today."

"I sparked Anpan into the dog's face today."

"Sparking!"

"Spa…"

"ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN!"

"GYAAH!" Shinpachi screams and throws the diary across the room. His face is fills with uncontainable horror as he covers his eyes with his hands. "I… I saw something I wasn't supposed to see! It was an Anpan curse and ANPAN god what was that it was so ANPAN I want to go home this ANPAN!"

Meanwhile, Hotsuma struggles under Kamui's arm and breaks the curse chain coming out of Shinpachi's mouth.

"Um… Hello? Me?"

"Oh right. We still have this guy right here." Kagura turns to face Hotsuma. Okita pokes Hotsuma in the eye balls.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

Okita smirks, feeling quite sadistic when seeing the helpless Hotsuma locked under Kamui's arm. Kamui laughs amusedly. "If there were to be one thing I like about you, Earthling, it would be your twisted nature."

"Why, thanks for the compliment." Okita got out his collar. "Do you think he would bark if we put this around his neck and force him into S&M play three days straight?"

"Don't treat my son like a dog! He won't bark!" The old Hotsuma, the fake Yoda, speaks up loudly. That was the first time Hotsuma actually notices his creator here. His eyes shot up in surprise.

"Pop, what are you doing here?!"

Kamui looks at the fake Yoda and then turns his attention to Hotsuma. "I thought your dad died and you were the last survivor of the Kumoto?"

"Ah, that's a long story." Kagura says to her brother who is now looking very confuse. "Thing is, the guy you are hugging right now is actually an artificial being. The real Hotsuma is that fake Yoda over there."

Kamui let out a long sigh and lets go of Hotsuma with bored look on his face. "Well, that's not fun. And here I thought that I would finally get to fight someone who can quench my thirst. All I get is one old man who can barely walk? Give me a break."

"It doesn't matter whether I am a real Kumoto or an artificial being," said Hotsuma hastily. "As long as I'm strong, I can and will become the true Kumoto."

"I'm afraid it is not that easy." Said Kamui who is squatting on the floor, picking at his nails. "I have no use or interest in weaklings. Since neither you or your Pop can fight me, I suggest you guys get out of my sight. I can see no dignity in fighting weaker race. It will only tarnish my Yato blood."

"You are a Yato?" Hotsuma steps back, looking startled. He sets his feet in front one more time with fierce look. "This means that if I can beat you, I can become strong as the true Kumoto, doesn't it?"

Kagura sighs. Here comes another freak who is obsessed with strength. Why do we have so many of them around here?

Kamui gets up and also got into his fighting stance; intending to end this fight once and for all. But then the unexpected happened.

"That's enough out of you!" The fake Yoda yells at the younger Hotsuma. He is blocking Kamui and Hotsuma's path in process. Hotsuma looks rather shock.

"But… Why?! If I can beat this Yato, it will prove that…"

"It won't prove anything! The only thing it will prove is that I let my own son die without doing anything." The fake Yoda shouts again. Kamui and the others stop moving as they watch the father-son drama unfolds in front of them.

"If I can't become the true Kumoto, then I can't be your son!" Hotsuma yells. His voice is thick with longing. "If I can beat the Yato, then it will prove that I'm strong… that I'm the true descendent of your clan. You can be proud of me! Isn't this what you wanted all along?!"

Before the fake Yoda will have the chance to say or anything, Kagura and Kamui walks up to Hotsuma and punch the living day light out of him. Kagura lifts her head with a big, angry mark on her forehead. "You little bitch! Your father is caring for you this much… yet…"

Even my real biological father… God! I'm really weak for this kind of family drama! Kagura thinks and was ready to give him the next beating session, but Kamui beats her to it.

"You should be grateful that your dad cares for you, even though you are the weakling insect. Do you want to fight me and die that bad? Huh?! If you don't, them hurry up and scram back to your planet like a cockroach you are!"

Because even that baldy won't care for me… damn it! I've gone so soft for this little father-son drama thing! This is all that baldy's fault for even being related to me! Not to mention giving me the similar kind of drama! Kamui kicks and tosses Hotsuma to the side where he lies at the feet of his father. He looks up and sees the kind look in fake Yoda's eyes.

"I don't care if you are weak or strong… the true Kumoto or not, Hotsuma. You will always be my son. Let's go home. Together with the others life you have created."

For the first time, Hotsuma doesn't look like the big boy he pretends to be. His eyes give away a hint of hope, happiness and tears.

"Yes, Pop." His voice cracks. "Let's go home."


At the ground

Everybody watch as the last part of the Kumoto ship fades away from the sky. The sun begins to shine upon them again and Gintoki bath in it gratefully.

"Ah… Edo is meant to be hot in summer, after all! I will never complain, use are condition or fan again on sunny days!"

"Gin-san, you'd better live up to those words." Said Shinpachi. Behind them is Hijikata slapping Yamazaki's head back into shape. Kondo wailing his eyes and snot out after he'd heard the whole touching drama from Okita. Kagura and Kamui dying from the sun light because their parasols are half wrecked and Abuto is standing under the shade by himself, watching the two siblings suffer from heat with a small smirk of satisfaction on his face.

"Ah!" Gin yells suddenly, his face goes pale. Everybody look at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, perm head?" Asks Hijikata while he is still on top of Yamazaki, slapping him hard across the face.

"We forgot to mention to those two that we destroyed the power source! But well, that's not such a big deal, right? I mean, it can't be… right?"

In everybody's head: The big ship full of life and villains who had just regretted upon their mistake and decide to become the good guys crashes on some random planet. Everything goes up in flame.

"I had just lost what little respect I had in you completely, Gin-chan." Said Kagura with a blank face.

"I never had any respect in you to begin with, but this is just bad." Said Shinpachi judgingly and he turns away.

"Aw, come on! How the hell was I supposed to know that things would turn out this way?! Don't make Gin-chan feel guiltier than he already does!"

Just then, a smaller wood ship land on the ground from the sky. The wind blows up from its landing and dusts cover everyone's eyes. When they manage to open them again, they see the Kamui and Abuto heading over to the ship.

On the ship is a certain purple- haired, one eye villain who observes everything from above and rarely ever get the screen time except during the opening and the ending credits.

Takasugi.

Sougo move forward with his hands on his katana instinctively. But Hijikata put out his hand and stop him.

"Don't, Sougo. Did you forget about out temporary peace agreement? We have to let them board that ship safely."

Okita backs down. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he sees a small figure moving forward slowly.

Kagura walks up a few steps. Stunned like she had just been shot.

"Wait…"

Kamui turns around with his light hearted smile and waves.

"Goodbye, sister dear. It had been really fun staying with you."

Kagura takes another step. Okita sees that look of despair in her eyes.

She had just been betrayed again. This time, without any warning signs. She had forgotten completely about what waits at the end of this mission and who her brother really is, for he acted like he always belonged in her life.

"Wait… Don't leave yet…!"

He's leaving me again… he is walking away from me again! That little…

Okita reaches out his hands and grabs Kagura who is bolting after her brother with fire burning in her eyes around the waist. Gintoki and Shinpachi would then come around and help him hold back Kagura.

"Next time I see you, we shall have a really nice sibling fight to the death. Perfectly fits our tradition, doesn't it?"

Kamui walks on the ship with Abuto. His smile remains until the very last moment the door at the bottom of the ship closes and the ship lifts up.

It is just like him to walk away first. Kagura takes in a deep, ragged breathe. It was always him who gets to leave others behind…I always get left behind, just like that time…!

"I have no use for weaklings like you."

"Trust me on this one, sister. I promise I won't let go."

All the memories of trust in her brother should fade away like a scar. It always had.

But Kagura isn't willing to let go this time.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Kagura shouts at the top of her lungs as the wooden ship her brother and his subordinate boarded floats away in the sky.

"KAMUI… KAMUI… YOU BASTARD! JUST YOU WAIT!"


Whew~

The ending part was sort of dramatic, wasn't it? I had to do it becasue I want to build up the tension for the two siblings, and I can't find the better way for Kamui to remains in his character except leaving Kagura again. I'm also sorry I suck at touching scenes. But I am sure I can get better with a little practice! (Or not).

Anyway, heads up for the next chapter, people! The ending is just around the corner!

Thank you for reading and please comment and review!