Disclaimer: Gintama is not mine, it belongs to Sorachi Hideaki. I'm just butchering the story to iddybiddy pieces, sorry.

Short again. Ehehe. Also realised when I wrote this that I completely forgot Sadaharu. Just imagine an awesome reunion back home... he was supposed to travel with her, man. I don't know why that completely disappeared from my head.

Her father and brother are sitting on the side bench this chapter till they're tagged in again, haha. On to-

Chapter 4.

Kagura couldn't contain her excitement. She was going home! She felt the need to compulsively burst into tears from her over-eagerness. Everyone she missed, everyone she cared about, she would see them all again! And she just couldn't wait! She read the crinkled piece of paper in her hands again, sent from Queen Soyo of the country Japan in planet Earth requesting for the assistance of alien hunters to track down a certain criminal. Though the content of the letter were not of the warming kind, Kagura recognised her friends handwriting, and felt giddy all over again.

Soyo was stationed right in front of where the spaceship landed. Gin-chan, Shipachi and Otae by her side. Kagura with a fountain of tears rushing down her face ran straight into Gintoki's arms. "GINN-CHANNNN!"

"Kagura-chan!" Shinpachi cried, flailing about her still in Gintoki's hold. Soyo and Otae also with tears in their eyes surrounded the girl and lightly touched her just to make sure she was real.

"OOOOFF. Hey, hey take it on easy on poor Gin-chan. He's not used to your bone-crushing ways anymore after nearly 2 years." Kagura responded by crying louder and hugging him tighter. "Ughhhh... h, help me.. I'm dying.."

After a few minutes in which Kagura buried herself into each of their arms, "SOYO-CHANNNN!" "ANEGOOOO!" "MEGANEE-"

"OOOOOIIIIIII"

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Gintoki then took her by the shoulders and gently used his knuckle to tip her chin up. "Ok, come on, let's get a good look at you. See how much you've grown since you left."

A moment passed while the 4 of them visually took her in and she them after the long time apart.

Kagura was still very short, but she had grown a little bit taller. Her most distinct difference they noticed were her features, gone was her baby face and standing before them now was a young lady, more mature yet still with the tone of the carefree and tempestuous Kagura of old.

To Kagura, Gin-chan and Anego didn't seem to have a changed at all, maybe with just a tiny bit more lines around their faces. They've been busy on Earth, rebuilding Edo after the war, Kagura wished she could have stayed and helped but she had chosen her father. Megane was megane, maybe the glasses stand might have gotten a bit taller, but the megane hasn't changed. The one who has certainly changed the most out of the four was definitely Soyo-chan. Kagura felt compelled to address her as Jouou-sama* with bows and all just by her appearance alone. Beautiful but powerful. She seemed to embody the very definition of graceful regality.

Out of everyone, Soyo-chan probably had the most difficult time. At the end of the war, shogun nobunobu had died and with the connections lost from chaos of the war, the bakufu were running around like headless chooks. Matsudaira had come to Soyo-chan and requested that she become the figurehead for the restoration of Edo, of course with the backing of himself and other high class military ranks. Soyo had been reluctant, she knew her brother had wanted to abolish the shogunate system. However, as things stood, she agreed to take on the role for the sake of rebuilding Edo, just temporarily till a new governmental system could be put into place. So, at the tender age of 15, Soyo became the new ruler of Edo, Japan and started her reign right after the Universe's worst catastrophe. Kagura couldn't be more proud to be her friend.

Still sniffling, Kagura finished looking closely at all their faces and returned to lock her eyes with Gin-chan's.

"Okaeri, Kagura."

Kagura's smile was blinding. "Tadaima."


*Jouou-sama means Queen/your majesty (female). I hope. I googled.