Author's Note:
Yo, everyone. BD Or those of you who still haven't given up on this fic yet.
I'll go straight to the point. Chapter 5 is a bit special, because it gives out hints for the real plot. That's right, guys - "All I Want For Christmas is..." isn't just a cute story about Santa and presents. Beneath all the fluff, you'll find something darker.
I know some parts of this chapter might be slightly confusing; especially how our sadist keeps contradicting himself. Everything (including Okita's strange behaviour) will be explained later in time, so please bear with it.
x-KaguraSougo27: I'll keep that in mind, then. Thanks for reviewing even though you forgot the password of the old one. It must have been troublesome to make a new account just to review my story, but your words mean so much for me and they keep me going. Feel free to continue supporting me like this. I love you too, China~
BakaAho: Thanks for reviewing. Don't worry, Kagura hasn't completely forgiven him yet and there's still a lot more to come. Sougo will make it up to her in the end, so it's all good.
rinho: Thanks for reviewing; I'll keep that in mind. I make Kagura sound girly in this fic because I believe she's a girl deep down, - not to mention that she was hurt emotionally and is confused about her feelings. I hope you don't mind it too much.
Rhaide: Yes, I'm the Jerkaiser on facebook. Thanks for reading and reviewing my fic. As a fellow Okita roleplayer, I'm glad you like the story.
ElleinadOtaku0w0: Exactly. That's what I did in the roleplay with my China. I'm so smart— just kidding. Thanks for the review.
All I want for Christmas is…
…To Understand This Feeling. [Chapter 5]
"Jush sho ywu nhow-awu, I hwavent fwowiven ywu ywet!" Kagura said with her mouth full and started to devour yet another crispy treat. Luckily for our youngster, this buffet had dishes she couldn't even dream to find in Gintoki's refrigerator.
"That fried chicken is gonna spread its wings and fly away if you don't shut up," came from our sadist, who then calmly drank his Frozen Strawberry Margarita. He had stopped eating long ago, and was only waiting for her to finish the food.
"Fried chicken can't fly-aru!" The Yato retorted with a frown after swallowing what she had been chewing on, "As if I would believe you, - I'm not that stupid!"
"Eeeh, you're not?!" Okita blinked innocently at her statement.
A vein popped on Kagura's forehead as she pointed an accusing finger at him, "N…Now, that's insulting! I actually thought you had learnt your lesson-aru!"
"What lesson." The young male wore a bored expression on his face as he sipped his drink, and that dry voice of his which she hated so much, made its return.
"B-BASTARD! Let's see you go 'what lesson' after I kick your face!" The vermillion red-haired girl pouted as she munched on a piece of fried potato.
"Mou, you're so mean-aru…"
Wasn't this supposed to make up for the teasing? He doesn't sound sorry at all!
"If I was mean, I would have gone through with that kiss," the crimson-eyed boy pointed out after giving it some thought, "I would become your boyfriend just to leave you later. Maybe you would have liked that better?"
"What, no wa-…!" Kagura begun, but suddenly interrupted herself, her eyes growing big.
Of course the kiss would have made her very happy…but that kind of happiness could never last, and when the truth was revealed, she would get even more hurt than she was right now.
That…was something she hadn't thought about…
At the sight of how the Yato finally got his point, the boy carried on. "I might be an insensitive jerk most of the time, but I am without doubt a good guy."
"…" The alien looked away. It wasn't like she didn't know… Kagura knew Sougo wasn't bad. He was a sadistic bastard, yes…but whenever it counted the most, he would stand up and fight like the samurai he was.
"—then again…" Okita added, although he appeared to be talking to himself rather than her. As if he was actually…doubting the words he had stated so confidentially just some moments ago.
"…good guys don't hurt people they love…do they…?" Immersed in his own thoughts, the captain shifted his blank gaze to the window. It had started to snow, but that didn't seem to interest him too much. He was staring at something else out there…
Something…
…or maybe nothing at all?
Even though Kagura was one of the victims, she was almost certain that he wasn't referring to her. Then who…? Had he hurt someone else in his past…? Someone he loved… A family member?
It couldn't be put into words, but she could feel that Sougo was carrying on a heavy burden.
What…is…this strange feeling…?
The sounds from her surroundings slowly faded away as she put her attention on him, and him only. Music… Clinking glasses and cutleries… Voices…
Everything was replaced by the silence.
No…
It wasn't completely quiet now that she thought about it… If Kagura really concentrated herself, she would be able to hear the faint noise of a ticking clock—but whose clock was it…? Where did the ticking come from…? Those questions remained unanswered…
Her heart ached as she watched him.
It's like that time-aru…, the female told herself.
That time, when she saw him at the park. He was standing there. Just standing there in silence…
…with that blank expression on his face.
But then, Okita muttered something… It was not audible for her ears, but she saw how his lips parted; slowly forming a sentence:
"…In the end, I'm just…
…
…a sadist, after all…"
…and while she sat there, in wonder of the strange pain she was feeling, the ticking continued to resound in her head…
Tick… Tick… Tick…
…
…
…
{ Kagura's dream }
"I love you, Sadist…" the vermillion red-haired teen said softly.
She felt a bit embarrassed as those familiar yet so unfamiliar words escaped her lips in such a soft manner. Words she had never imagined she could or ever would tell this guy…but here she was, uttering those very same words to him. They came straight from her heart, which was completely filled with this warm, tingling feeling called love.
"I love myself too," the boy deadpanned, just to ruin the mood like he usually did. The alien pouted and lightly hit his arm to show her discontent with his reply.
"D-Don't make fun of me-aru. I'm serious here…"
"Fine, fine," the captain chuckled as he rubbed where she punched him, as if it had hurt, "It's just that…you always expect me to reply on these things even though you already know the answer."
"Th…That might be true-aru…" she looked away, "…but I still want to hear it from you…"
"Well… If it makes you happy, then…," despite having the urge to tease her, the sandy-haired male sent his rival a gentle smile before continuing where they had left off earlier.
"I love you too, China…" Okita replied to her confession, and enjoyed the sight of how his simple words made the girl bury her face in his chest to hide the deep blush which had colored her cheeks.
"…we'll stay together, no matter what…right…?" The Yato whispered softly while reaching out a hand to caress his face.
"…No matter what…" Sougo repeated to confirm that statement as he gazed into her ocean blue orbs…
"…that's a promise…"
When he finished speaking, they both knew that words weren't needed between them anymore…and as Kagura slowly closed her eyes, the boy leaned closer to capture her lips with his own…
/
…
…
…
The first thing Kagura saw when she opened her sea-colored eyes, was the ceiling inside her cabinet shelf, dull as usual. The young lady placed the back of her hand against her forehead as she thought of what she had seen right before she woke up.
"What a strange dream-aru…" the girl whispered to herself. Although it was a nice vision which was the cause of the red tint on the younger's face, her chest felt tight and it was hard to take deep breaths.
A week had passed since they went to that buffet, but she still couldn't forget the things he said that day.
The Yato didn't understand… There was no doubt that Sougo could be a complete bastard…but sometimes, his actions hinted otherwise. Why would someone pull off a joke, and then, try to make up for it? Aren't sadists supposed to obtain pleasure from inflicting pain on others? What was he trying to achieve with this…?
It was quite clear by now that she had started to develop romantic feelings for the guy, but…that wasn't it. Something about him didn't feel right…
["…then again…good guys don't hurt people they love…do they…?"] ["…In the end, I'm just…a sadist, after all…"]
Knowing Okita, he was a jerk who embraced his title as a sadist. For Kagura, this was the first time he actually showed sign of loathing it…
It is said that a person's eyes are the window of their soul, and during that conversation, Sougo's eyes were blank… emotionless… empty…
He seemed so…
…lost…
"Oi, Kagura."
A knock was heard from outside her cupboard, "Sleep helps a child grow, but it's past noon already, so get out of that wonderous space of yours. Even Aleez had to leave Wonderland because she ended up growing bigger than her house. We don't want that to happen here, do we?"
"Gin-san, that's not how the story goes…!"
"Don't mind the details, Shinpachi-kuu~n."
"…Iya. You changed the whole plot. It's a completely different genre now."
A chuckle. "Give her some time, Yorozuya-san. I'm not in a rush."
Kagura blinked as she listened to them. She knew quite well who the first two voices belonged to, but who was the third person? The Yato slid open the sliding-door and got out, landing effortlessly on her feet. When she wandered to the living room, she could finally confirm that there was indeed an unfamiliar face among them.
Could it be…a client?
"There you are," Gintoki was sitting on the couch across of the other male, like he usually did when they had guests, "This guy was looking for you."
"Nice to meet you…Kagura-chan, I believe?" the visitor sent her a smile, "My name is Takumi, and I would like to ask for your help."
The young man was probably in his mid-twenties, she noted. Black, spiky hair and green eyes. Just your average kind of male, nothing special.
"Spit it out-aru." The teen sat down beside her silver-haired buddy and started picking her nose so casually that it would have made her future self feel ashamed, "But why me? Why not Gin-chan?" She wiped her snot-covered finger on Sakata's clothes. "I get why you wouldn't ask Megane, though."
"K…Kagura-chan! Wh-What's that supposed to mean?" Shinpachi almost spilled the tea he was about to serve their client. The boy was at the verge of crying because of his role of being useless in his fanfic.
"You see," Takumi started, "There's a party I need to attend, but who knows what kind of people I might meet there? I need protection…then again, I don't want to make it obvious either. Others might target me."
The green-eyed male tok a sip from the tea he had gotten served, "In short, I need a strong girl who can attend the party as my partner. And who isn't more fit to the job than a Yato? I'll pay you well."
"Partner?" The sukonbu-lover tilted her head to the side, "With an old geezer like you-aru?"
"G…Geezer?" Takumi raised an eyebrow, his lips formed a restrained smile, "For your information, I'm only 28."
The Yato stared at ceiling in a bored manner, "Oh. It's like I'm going a date with Gin-chan-aru. That's kinda disgusting, uh-uh."
"Ah. A-Ahaha. Why, you little—" The sugarholic let out a high-pitched laugh and sent her the Don't-get-too-cocky-you-brat-look as he clenched his fist in irritation. "But of course," the perm head tried to regain his calm composure, "I suppose you would have preferred Souchirou-kun instead."
"Wh-…" Kagura's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, "W-WHO THE HELL IS THAT-ARU?" The vermillion-haired female jumped up from her seat and grabbed Gintoki's neck to choke him. In spite of her question, she knew quite well who he was talking about.
"UGH— I-It was a joke…! A j-joooooke…!" Sakata explained as he tried to pry her fingers off him, but his words didn't seem to reach her at all. "K-Ka…gu…raa…"
The Yato kept shaking her friend violently as a darker shade of pink colored her cheeks. "Th-That- That b-bastard! I- I would never—!"
"I g-get iiiiit…! I-I get it, okaaay…? E-En…ough al…rea…dy…!" The suffocating samurai could feel how his silver soul started to leave the body.
"K-KAGURA-CHAAAN!" Shinpachi ran over to them and tugged on the girl's arm in panic, "HE'S GONNA DIIIEEEEE! HE'S REALLY GONNA DIIIEEE!"
"And who might this Souchirou-kun be?" Takumi asked calmly, completely unaffected by the ruckus the Yorozuya was causing.
At the his question, Kagura came to her senses and quickly let go of Sakata. "…No one," she replied quietly, looking down in embarrassment. "P…Putting that aside… When's the party-aru?"
"It starts at 6pm, so we have some hours to prepare ourselves. Now, what do you say? Will you do it?"
There was no way the alien would turn down that kind of offer. She just had to go to the party with him, right? Sounds easy. Besides, the dude paid well – or so he said.
"…Will there be fried chicken?"
"Most likely."
"Leave it to Gura-san, aru!"
…
…
…
"Okita-san, are we just going to sit here and wait for something to happen?" Yamazaki asked before taking a bite of his anpan. "It'll pwobabwy tayke houwrs befwoa they mawke theiy move, wight?"
"Guess so," the sadist leaned back on his seat with his sleeping mask covering his eyes. "Maa. I couldn't care less about those terrorists anyway."
The two police officers were sitting in their car, which was parked not too far away from a hotel. There were rumors about that being the terrorists' secret meeting place, but this duo's only objective for now was to observe.
"Oh, isn't that Kagura-chan from the Yorozuya?" Sagaru asked in amusement as the girl passed by their vehicle, "And she's with a guy."
Sougo sat up straight almost and took off his blindfold. Sky-colored orbs, shoulder-length vermillion locks, small chest and short in height… It was like his co-worker said, - that was definitely China. His crimson eyes followed the two figures closely as they disappeared into the building.
"I wonder why she's joining the terrorists. What do you think, Okita-san?"
"…"
"O…Okita-san?"
"…Oi. Zaki. Wait here." the 1st Division captain started to take off his uniform jacket and tie. Sougo didn't want to waste time on changing into another outfit, but at least the sadist could make it harder for people to recognize the fact that he was a Shinsengumi member. "I need to check out something."
"E-Eh? You're going in there? B-But you said—"
"I'll cut off your tongue. Shut up."
"Y-Yes!"
And with that said, Okita got out of the police car…
[End of Chapter 5]