Chapter 10: I Want You To Live

"Hey, Toushi, can you help me out?" Otae held their baby boy in her arms.

"With what?"

"Can you help me wash the baby?"

"Ah, yeah." He stood up. It was already evening, and Otae had just delivered Kagura's baby. She was very tired.

"All right Takarou, in you go…" Otae placed him in the bath, where he laughed. Obviously, he liked water, "He's laughing!" She clapped her hands. He hadn't laughed this much before, ever.

"He's so cute…" Hijikata blushed.

"Oh~? What about me?" She thrust herself in his arms, snuggling against his chest.

"Are you getting jealous of your own child again?"

"Maybe~" She stroked her hand on his cheek, moving around his hair. He took her hand and kissed her tight.

"I missed you, I really did." She whispered.

"Someday I'll come back for good." He replied softly in her ear. A splash was heard behind them.

"Ah, sorry Takarou, Mama got distracted." She went back to her child and stroked soap on him. Toushi smiled, happy he could be with his family.

"Are you too tired?" Toushi winked to Tae as she picked the baby out of the bath and dried him off with a soft towel.

"Of course not. As long as we get in the tub." She smirked. She placed her baby in his cradle, and let him fall asleep. He was a pretty good sleeper.

"Ah~" Otae eased her body into the tub, sitting by Toushi, "This feels great."

"Really." He pulled her to his body. She turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately.

"Wait, you're wearing protection, right?"

"What, you don't want another child?" He said sarcastically.

"I'm serious Toushi! I have enough trouble taking care of Takarou, as sweet as he is." She turned away from him, playing the pouty girl.

"Sorry Tae, I'm just playing." He hugged her from behind, drooping his chin over her left shoulder.

"So you have on protection?" Silence occurred. Tae stood up. "I'm getting out."

"Waitwaitwait, I AM wearing it, come back, OK?"

"Really?"

"Do you want to check?" He pointed inside the soapy water, and she blushed.

"No thanks." She came back in.

"What are you getting so embarrassed about?" He snickered.

"Last time it was dark, I couldn't see, it's embarrassing to think about your…" Her face went red. "Never mind." He laughed and kissed her lips. They got out of the tub and slipped on their robes. Otae fell on the bed, he arched himself over her.

"I'll come back, I swear…" He gave her a fiery kiss and fell on top off her, "I'll come back alive and become your husband."

"Please…!" She pleaded with tears coming from her eyes, knowing he would have to go to war soon. She took a deep breath as a jolt of wonderful pain shuddered through her body. She was in his arms again. He was here with her. She just wished the moment could last forever.

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~2 Years Later~

"Gin, welcome home." Kagura greeted Gintoki from her bed as he entered the room. Kagi smiled and waddled to her father.

"Papa!" She hugged him tightly. He smiled sadly at his daughter.

"What's wrong?" Kagura asked him.

"I got a call from Doctor Mitsuki. She said the cure has been found by that doctor."

"Really?!" She said enthusiastically.

"…The treatment will take two years."

"…Oh. Well, if you two will come with me-"

"We don't have enough money for that."

"…Then I'm not going."

"I already bought your ticket." He held it up for her to see.

"Give it!" She jumped up and tried to grab it. He pulled it away, and she got down on her knees. "Don't make me go!!!" She sobbed, "Don't separate me from my baby!!!"

"It's just for two years!"

"Don't leave me Gin…!!!" She begged.

"I don't want to be apart from you either, but I want you to live!!!" He yelled.

"Gin…!"

"Please…" Tears dripped down his cheeks.

"…All right." Kagura swallowed her pride.

"Thank you…" He hugged her tight, and Kagi started to cry softly.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry, we scared you, didn't we?" Kagura took her child into her arms, "…How long until my departure?"

"The only opening the doctor had was in two days. You'll be travelling all tomorrow."

"That soon?!"

"Sorry."

"No… It's fine." She smiled and shook her head, "Thank you."

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The next morning, Kagura was all dressed and ready to go. She was in her combat outfit she hadn't worn since she gave birth. Kagi was in her arms as she approached the train.

"Well," Kagura kissed Kagi on the cheek, "Here we are."

"I sent your mom's old wheelchair on the train. If you ever feel tired…"

"I know, Gin, I know." She smiled and handed Kagi to him. "Baton pass!" She yelled, and the other passengers looked at her weird. A Pokemon reference…?

"Sweet kiss!" Gin exclaimed as took his wife in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips. She then released him and walked onto the train.

"Teleport!!!" She smiled but cried as she yelled over the space train moving away.

"Minimize!" Gintoki kneeled down, keeping Kagi in the air.

"Tail whip!" Kagi shook her back side very cutely in the air. Kagura giggled as tears dripped from her eyes.

"HYDRO PUMP!!!" She yelled as loud as she could, and that was the last they saw of that space train.

"What the hell…?" Gin laughed softly, "That one doesn't even make any sense…!" Kagi saw tears dripping from her father's face, and so they started from her own as well. It would be a while before they saw each other again.

~2 Years Later~

"Papa! I'm up!" 4-year old Kagi ran through the hall. She had Kagura's eyes and face with Gin's silver hair, except with a touch of blue to it. It reached down to her waist, and was held back with a hair clip in the back. She wore a cute little solid blue dress with shorts underneath, and black sandals.

"Wow, you're fast." Gin looked at his daughter in his bathrobe and kneeled over to see her eye-to-eye.

"Papa, I love your hair. It's all fluffy and puffy." Kagi put her hands through it and felt it on her fingers.

"Yeah, I love it too. But Kagi's hair is even prettier. Wanna trade?"

"No~ Kagi likes hers~" She giggled and twiddled her hands together, embarrassed.

"I'll get dressed, so be a good girl and eat the breakfast on the table, OK?"

"Yes~" She ran to the breakfast table and took the bowl of rice into her hands. With chopsticks, she scooped it into her mouth.

"All right, let's go!" Gin gave her a thumbs-up, and she gave one back with rice on her mouth, "Wait up, we've gotta clean your face." He took a napkin and rubbed it as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you Papa~" She said obediently and took a small helmet from the coat rack.

"Let's ride!" He slipped his helmet on, and helped her buckle hers. They rode on his bike together for about five minutes, until they reached the Shimura Dojo.

"I won't wear something that stupid." A small boy said to his mother.

"Oh come on Takarou, you want to impress Kagi-chan, don't you? A traditional samurai is really cool~" Otae tried to coax him.

"Otae, a real man wears a Shinsengumi jacket." Toushi held up a miniature Shinsengumi uniform for him to wear.

"I meant both are stupid." He told his parents bluntly.

"Samurai!" Otae yelled at Toushi, ignoring her son.

"Shinsengumi!" He yelled back.

"Samurai!"

"Shinsengumi!"

"Taka-chan!" Kagi called from the front porch, and Takarou walked away from his bickering parents.

"Kagi." He smiled slightly to her. He didn't smile that often, and the only one he did for was Kagi.

"Sorry, do you think you could keep tabs on her for a little?" Gin put up his hand to ask, "She's so curious all the time. When I have to do a job, she insists she goes, and when she doesn't, she cries."

"That's no problem. Takarou loves spending time with her." Otae and Toushi sprung back into parenting figures.

"Ah, and mom, I'll wear the samurai one."

"YES!!! Did you hear that Toushi?! I win!!!"

"Tch…!" He gritted his teeth.

"Ohohohoho~ In your face!" Otae jumped up and down.

"Does Auntie Tae always win?"

"No. I just do it like this. Mom, dad, mom, dad… It stays even that way."

"Your family looks as fun as ever." Gin laughed.

"Don't you have work to do?!" Toushi growled at the man, sore from his loss.

"Oh, yeah, I do. I'll see you later Kagi, Otae, Takarou… Number two." He laughed evilly as he drove off.

"You jackass!!!" Toushi yelled at his rival.

"Come on Kagi, let's go to the playground."

"All right!" She smiled and took his hand, on which he blushed.

"We'll come with you." Otae held a basket with lunch inside, and wore a white sun-dress. Toushi had taken off his Shinsengumi outfit, and was wearing a white, short sleeved button-up shirt. The family and guest, who was like another child to them, walked to the park, where some other children were playing.

"We're going to go to the field, just the two of us. You understand why, right Takarou?" Toushi kneeled down to make eye contact with his son.

"…Yeah." Takarou knew why as his mother and father walked away. He had plenty of time with his dad the past two weeks. The least he could do was give his parents some time alone.

"Hey, Taka-chan, what does your dad mean?" Kagi took his hand as they walked to the sandbox.

"Dad is going away for a year or two. We won't see him for a long time, so mom wants to spend time with him."

"Why?"

"All Shinsengumi are going to protect a base down far away. The rebels are attacking it, so… Yeah. The war is starting."

"Taka-chan, you don't hate the rebels, do you?" "Why?"

"Because my Papa is a rebel, and my mom used to say to me that I'm the daughter of the Silver Demon, my hair is almost exactly like his. And I believe what Papa is doing is right… Do you hate me?"

"I hate the stupid selfish Amanto that came to Earth and made my Dad give up his bushido and join the Shinsengumi. I don't hate the rebels, it's the path my dad chose, though."

"Then you hate me, because I'm half Amanto…"

"No no, I mean the selfish ones, even humans are selfish. You're my best friend, Kagi." He smiled. She did the same.

"Oh~ It's the girl who's half alien!!!" A small boy's voice called.

"Alien! Alien! We'd better run! She might eat our brains!"

"You jerks…!" Takarou had a super violent look in his eyes, and all the boys were freaked. He was about to scuffle with them, but Kagi pulled on his sleeve.

"Taka-chan, please don't fight. Let's just ignore them." Kagi said softly.

"Ah, OK, Kagi." He let down his fists. The boys were shocked by his change of attitude.

"You're all soft because you hang out with that sissy girl! And your dad is the stupid vice-captain of the Shinsengumi! They killed my dad, you jerk!!!"

"That girl is a monster!!! She's a disgrace to the Silver Demon!!!" A boy stuck out his tongue, "Your mom probably left because she knew she'd be killed by your father! After all, she's an Amanto!!!" He laughed.

"DOWN WITH THE AMANTO! DOWN WITH THE AMANTO!" The boys chanted. Kagi fell to her knees and cried hard, imagining the thought of her father killing her mother. Her wonderful parents… Suddenly, she felt a jolt in her chest.

"Hey." Takarou said calmly, "It's fine if you wanna make fun of me, but when you say that kinda stuff to Kagi…" His lifted up his head and looked at them with eyes of a furious demon, "I WILL KILL YOU…!" The boys jumped back, freaked of his look. Takarou ran to them and went to punch them, but Kagi ran faster. They flung to the ground.

"Hey you brats, you don't dare touch Takarou." She put her foot on top of them, "Or I'll beat the crap of you." Kagi cracked her knuckles.

"Ah, here comes Roku again…" Takarou said plainly.

"How are you not surprised?!" The kids exclaimed.

"See, I tried to warn you just now. Don't insult me or her, or Kagi's other side gets out. There's Kagi and Roku, Key and Lock. Kagi is the only one who can unlock her Yato side, which is sealed by her human side. She can do it only once a day, but honestly, you would have been better off getting punched by me than her."

"St-stupid monster!!!" The boys stuck out their tongues as they ran away in fear. Kagi's eyes closed, and her knees drooped. But Takarou was there to catch her.

"Taka-chan…" Kagi looked at him weakly, "Did my other side get out again…?"

"Yeah, but it's OK. You didn't hurt them much. They'll be fine."

"Sorry… I'm a big burden." She stood up on her own feet.

"No, you're not." Takarou took her hand, "Haven't we already gone over this?"

"Sorry…"

"Don't apologize…"

"Hey, it's the Hijikata kid." A man in a dusty robe approached with a metal bar.

"What's it to you?"

"You're coming with me. Maybe I won't hurt your little girlfriend, then. But maybe I'll take her…" The man reached out to a scared Kagi, who was too tired to transform.

"Stay away from her!!!" Takarou held onto his arm and wouldn't let go. Finally, the man slammed him on the ground and was about to punch him out cold, when Kagi jumped in front of him. She fell down to the ground next to him.

"Kagi!!!"

"Taka-chan, are you OK…?" She asked weakly, but stood up even so, "Listen to me rebel, one of my kind."

"One of…?" the man said in confusion. Kagi shuffled with the collar on her sport dress as she grabbed a sterling silver chain underneath.

"If you are one of the rebels, surely you've been told about this pendant by Katsura-san. My mother carries one side of one pendant that is made of pink jade, and my father has a side of another pendant made of green jade. They put one side of each together for their daughter. And do you know who my family is?" She asked him. He shivered in his boots, "My mother is Kagura Sakata of the Yato clan, and my father is Gintoki Sakata, the Silver Demon general of the rebel army. And that makes me their only daughter, Kagi Sakata! If you cross my path ever again, I will tell my father. You don't want that, do you?" Kagi looked sharply at the man. For a 4-year old, Kagi was very intelligent. She could use complicated terms most people thought 8-year-olds at the earliest would say…

"K-K-Kagi- I mean Lady Kagi, please excuse my behavior!" He bowed quickly and ran off. Kagi rubbed her cheek, which hurt from the punch.

"Kagi…"

"I… Was… so scared…!" She sobbed in his arms. Takarou hugged her tight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*"…Toushi." Otae said in the silence of the field. The two of them just sat in the middle of the field, Otae's head was on his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"…I won't be able to call your name for a while, huh…?"

"…Yeah."

"Takarou has become a man early thanks to you."

"He has."

"…I'll miss fighting with you about which outfit he should wear."

"So will I."

"I'll miss sleeping with you every night."

"Me too."

"And taking baths together."

"Ditto."

"But you know, I'll send you a lot of care packages. You'll never get bored or hungry. As long as you're happy, Toushi, I'm happy." Otae smiled brightly, too bright. Toushi kept his eyes forward and didn't say a thing. "…Do you think we should have a second child…? I mean, that way you'll have a new surprise when you come home-"

"Otae."

"Eh?"

"You don't always have to please me, you know. You don't always need to put on a smile before I leave."

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do." He said bluntly, "You try to make me not worry, and you try to serve me the best you can. What is it YOU want Otae?" She looked at him for a while blankly, and then smiled again, that fake smile.

"What do I want?"

"Yeah."

"…I want to cry." She said normally and kept smiling, but tears dripped through her eyelids. Slowly, she opened her beautiful blue eyes. Her smile changed into a mouth about to cry, she deeply took a breath and howled cries in his arms. She remembered all the moments she had with him. The time they met, the time they started to go out, the time they decided to move in together, that sad, passionate night where she gave up her virginity, and of course, when the couple saw each other again, when they embraced after Takarou's birth. To think… If Toushi died, all those memories would be wiped from his mind forever. Otae was strong in battle. Why couldn't she go? There was a simple reason. She wanted to avenge her father's death, the poor samurai who died in poverty because he was forced to give up the one thing he lived for. His sword. The Amanto were the start of her nightmare, and even though she loved Toushi and wanted to help him, she couldn't. However, even though she wanted to help Gintoki and the rebels, she decided the best thing to do would be was to stay out of it and take care of Takarou, and even Kagura and Kagi.

"If I come back… Let's have a wedding." Toushi took her hand and slipped on a ring with a diamond and pink quartz around it. It was the most beautiful object Otae had ever seen. She hugged tight, not ever wanting to let go. But she knew she would have to that afternoon.

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"What are you saying?! You're leaving?!" Kaede jumped up out of the bed, only a sheet to cover her naked body.

"Yeah, that's right. I've gotta leave this afternoon for the base down south." Okita slipped on his shirt, about to start buttoning it.

"No way…! This soon?!" Kaede grabbed from behind, "What if I… Got pregnant this time…? Then will you stay…?"

"Kaede," He said seriously and stroked her face, "You know my job is important. I couldn't even if I wanted to. This is huge. And also… Sorry. I've been wearing protection every time."

"Every time?!" She exclaimed, "So all those times I said I wanted to have a child with you, you went against my wish?!"

"I had to. Do you want our child to grow up without a father? I know what it's like, OK? I was lucky to have my sister as a mom, but it was still…" Okita looked down. Kaede tightened her grip around his chest. It was bare, only his arms were covered by his shirt, and he wore black pants. His untied tie lay hanging around his neck.

"I can't help it…! I want to be connected to you all the time…! Is it bad that I'm clingy?! You think I made love with you all those times and I didn't have a thought for our future…?" Kaede cried softly, "If you die, I'll kill myself…!" She squeezed her eyes shut, when she felt a jolt around her wrists. Okita held them in his hands and kissed her lips.

"Don't be stupid. If you do that, I'll haunt you in the afterlife. If you're going to make that promise, then I'll make this one. I'll come back alive, I swear." He kissed her again.

"You don't want to see me suffer…? That's a first." Kaede laughed slightly with tears dripping down her cheeks.

"And when I come back, let's do this again. Without protection." He said casually as he put on his vest and jacket. Kaede smiled with tears in her eyes and quickly got dressed, even while crying. She wanted to see him off.

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"You take care of your mom, Takarou." Toushi kneeled down to his son, now in his Shinsengumi uniform. Takarou nodded as Kagi gripped onto his secretly shivering hand.

"I guess it's time." Toushi looked at his fiancee. She also shivered holding Takarou's hand.

"You cold?" He asked.

"No, no…" she stroked her hair behind her ear and smiled sadly.

"Otae, don't hold it in."

"I'm OK, really…" He sighed after hearing this.

"All right. At the least, let your tears out. Just keep a smile, OK?" He sincerely smiled to her. She did just as he said, which made her feel a lot better. She gripped her arms around him, and tears dripped from her squeezed eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.

"Okita, I'll send you letters, OK?" Kaede said casually, "And…" She blushed, "Think of kid names for when you get back, OK…?" He nodded and smiled, reached over and kissed her. He hugged her tight, knowing that would be the last warmth of the girl he loved for a long time.

"You're my girl. You always will be." He said defensively, "I love you." That was the first time Okita had actually said ever said those three words. He had answered to 'Do you love me?' with 'Yeah', or a nod, but he had never said the words himself. Kaede embraced him singing a soft little song, feeling him shivering, like he might cry at any minute. After all, after his sister died, the only person he truly connected all the way with was her. The melody was happy, yet sad, a song that could be used for reunion or parting.

Some say love

It is a river

That drowns the tender reed

Some say love

It is a razor

That leaves your soul to bleed

Some say love

It is a hunger

And endless aching need

I say love

It is a flower

And you it's only seed

How was the chapter? GOD, YES, I DID A LEMON. THINK OF ME AS PERVERTED, GO AHEAD. I couldn't resist~ Le gasp! Kagura leaves?! Will she never return?! And so many time skips?! How old are they now?! Well, Kagura was turning 20 when they were getting married, and a year passed when giving birth to Kagi, plus 4 years… So she's 25 now?! Do the math with everyone else. I'll give an age list later. How is it?! This chapter was mostly about Takarou and Kagi! Hint, they love each other later on~ Well, Takarou already does, but how about Kagi? Hm… AND KAEDE IS NOT A SLUT! She feels very close to Okita, and was determined to have a child with him so that they're always connected, hence the same text before. I love Kaede so much, I think she's changed. She was intended to be 10 years old when I first thought of her, but then I thought, hm, how about Kaede becomes Okita's lover? And that's how it worked out. I have a really good image in my mind of her. I can't wait to draw it!... Maybe later. XD

Song of this chapter…

Song: The Rose

Artist: Bette Midler