Author's Note:

Yo, people. I'm back. Thank you so much for those 17 wonderful reviews on my latest chapter. I won't be able to reply to you all, but I appreciate it a lot, so keep them coming.

Before we go on, I just want to say that random moments will be added to each chapter. Whether you want to think of these as flashbacks, visions, dreams or a side-story, doesn't matter - They're like puzzle pieces. It might be confusing at first, but as the story progresses, everything will make sense, so don't let them bother you. Also... Note that from now on, there are many hints spread around; you might have to check previous chapters to understand certain things. I'll come back to that later.

Hachibukai: Thank you for reviewing..! Sorry for the very late update and not much development plot-wise. We're getting somewhere though, so I hope you'll continue to support this fic.

cleonaya: I'm glad you think that they're in-character. Sometimes, it can be hard to write OkiKagu because they're not exactly your typical lovey-dovey couple. Thanks for telling me about your fic - I'll make sure to check it out when I have time.

All I want for Christmas is…

…A Jealous Boyfriend. [Chapter 6]

Kagura didn't know much about parties, and decided to ask Otae for help. After digging in her closet for some time, the brunette finally found one of her old tube dresses which she let the Yato borrow. It fit our youngster perfectly in size – the white fabric gave her already fair skin a nice glow. Her shoulder-length hair was adorned with a flower, and her lips had gotten a light shade of pink.

"Let's go," Takumi offered his hand to the alien, who hesitated a bit before taking it. The girl was thankful they had arrived there by car, because her high heels were quite uncomfortable. In spite of this, she tried her best to keep up with the older male's pace as they entered through the main entrance.

"Welcome, Hajiro-san and partner! We hope you'll enjoy your stay," people greeted them as they passed by.

"Hajiro-san?" The blue-eyed asked and sent him a suspicious look. That wasn't the name he told the Yorozuya earlier… Had he been lying about it? Not that it was too unusual for people to use nicknames, but she didn't think that was necessary – unless they were trying to hide something from a couple of freelancers, of course – which was quite unlikely.

"Oh, I never got to introduce myself properly. You must be confused," the client said while leading her to a table. He politely pulled out a chair for Kagura like the gentleman he was, before helping her to push it in as she got seated.

The adult sat down on his own chair as he gave his short but straight-forwarded explanation, "My full name is actually Togae Takumi, but I go by Hajiro in public. That's all there is to it."

"Is that so-aru…" Her suspicion for him hadn't been cleared yet, but she decided to let it slide for now. The Yato shifted her gaze around in the big room, in wonder of what kind of gathering this could be. Everything seemed so fancy and the guests were probably of higher social class than her.

"Say, Kagura-chan," Togae interrupted her chain of thought after he had ordered some food, his words indirectly forcing her to face him, "I've been wondering about something."

"Y…Yes?" Our heroin couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at the serious tone in his voice. Was he about to reveal something about this event? Or maybe the real purpose of why they were here? After all, this request of his oozed with suspicion.

He took a deep breath, then looked into her eyes,

"…what kind of person is Souchirou-kun?"

"Gah—!" The terrorist's sudden question snuck up on her and almost threw the sukonbu-lover off balance while she was sitting there at her seat, – the seriousness from earlier had completely vanished into thin air. Of all the things he could ask, why that? Why is it always about the sadist-aru!

"Your facial expression changes drastically every time he's mentioned, so I just had this maybe-he's-someone-special~ thought crossing my mind," the older male told her in a cheerful manner, apparently unaware of what his words had done to his partner. "Was it wrong of me to ask?"

If it wasn't for how genuinely curious he sounded, Kagura would have strangled him like she had done with Gintoki. After some thinking, she guessed it wouldn't hurt to tell him a bit about Sougo… Hajiro couldn't possibly know the guy anyway, and she needed to get this off her chest.

"…S…Souchirou is a real jerk-aru…" she looked away, "Even though he's sliiightly not-so-ugly-looking, his personality stinks."

At how the young lady started off, Takumi's lips formed a small smile, "Oh?"

"Arrogant, sadistic, blunt, rude, lazy, aloof, selfish, sarcastic, irresponsible, foul-mouthed…" she rattled off, "If I made a list of everything I hated about him, it would even be longer than all the chapters of this fanfic combined – and that's hella long-aru…!"

"Your vocabulary must be great, then. How impressive~ But maybe you shouldn't reveal more about the story itself; the readers might give up on it if they know how much longer they have to wait until the last chapters."

"Uh-uh! 'cause the author keeps saying 'I'll try to update faster', but it never happens-aru. We've been on stand-by since August," she counted her fingers, "– that's almost 4 months already! Also, despite this fic's title, it has been going on since December 2011 – I mean, I love Christmas too-aru, but there's limit to how far you should make it last!"

"Now, now~ Let's not be too hard on our author; we should be happy this story is still ongoing. Here, have some fried chicken and cheer up," Takumi offered her the plate of food which had arrived as they were talking. He didn't have to say that a second time, because the vermillion red-haired girl started to dig at once.

"By the way," the older guy spoke up after a short break, "Would you mind telling me about the Shinsengumi?"

…The Shinsengumi? Why would he ask about them all of the sudden? The blue-eyed alien wondered as she swallowed her food, "…Then tell me first. What is your motive-aru? Why are we here? This isn't some kind of birthday party, is it." As stubborn as the teenager was, she refused to answer more questions from him until he gave her a clear answer.

"My motive? I just wanted to attend this party," Hajiro took a sip from his drink to quench his thirst before he continued, "…but I suppose it's not something as common as a birthday. If I had to make it simple, then maybe 'terrorist gathering', would work. We're more noble than those who bomb buildings, though – strategy is our thing."

"So that's why you want to know about the Shinsengumi-aru… I should have known." This guy was probably using her to get information about the police so they could carry out their plans. If this caused trouble for the sadist, then… Wait. Where did that come from? She would have felt bad if that happened, though.

"No, you've got it all wrong; being a terrorist has nothing to do with this. I was just wondering how they were doing," the green-eyed man looked up at the ceiling in deep thought, "Like, what kind of people they were – you know, such trivial matters."

"They're just stupid tax robbers-aru; no need to waste your time on them," the Yato gave the impression of being uninterested in the topic, but was actually relieved because Togae wasn't as cruel as she had thought.

"…but I guess…they aren't too bad…" she added after a moment or two. Kagura felt she should at least give them some credit for keeping the streets of Edo safe – or trying to.

"I see…" The other smiled to himself. Somehow, he appeared to be…happy.

"I still don't understand, though," the young lady stated after she realized an important fact, "If this is an event for terrorists and you're a terrorist – why would you need protection from me? It doesn't make sense."

"You're a smart young lady, I see. Well, about that…" the client lowered his voice a bit, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him, "In reality, I just wanted to meet you face-to-face, Kagura-chan. I've been looking for you for the past year…"

"Looking…for me…?" She blinked twice in confusion. Why would anyone want to see her?

"Yes, since the first time I saw you. In episode— what was it again?" The green-eyed guy tilted his head to the side, "Hm. My mind is clouded right now, but your eyes were cute there."

Cute eyes? She would have preferred it if he gave out more hints, but the adult didn't seem to know much about it either. "So…you have appeared in the anime?"

"I have. A few times, actually – in some of the newer episodes. I doubt anyone remembers me, though."

"…"

This was getting really strange. Until now, she thought that Hajiro was a made-up character by this story's writer, CrimsonINsight, who was too desperate about fitting him into the story. As far as she knew, there was no character in this fandom with the name "Togae Takumi". Sorachi Hideaki wouldn't have hidden such a vital piece of information from the main heroin, would he?

But if he actually did appear in the anime – Was he some random character in the background, or…? What did he mean with "newer episodes" anyway. The Kintama arc? The reruns? Or maybe earlier arcs? She was tempted to ask, but felt an abnormal headache coming up as she tried to remember where in the anime he had made his debut.

"Kagu-chan, you look pale…" Hajiro placed a hand on her shoulder as he tried to check on the girl, "…are you okay?"

"I f-feel kind of sick… I…I th-think I need to—" Before she could finish her sentence, the youngster covered a hand over her mouth and got up to hurry out of the dining hall.

…

…

…

"You don't look too good-aru."

"…oh really, now…"

Kagura had joked, in hope that it would cheer him up a little…but when she realized that it didn't work, the young lady grew quiet. A few more steps through the dew-covered grass, and she was standing right next to him. The Yato glanced curiously at Okita before fixing her eyes on what was in front of them.

"It's interesting to see another side of the sadist…" she said in the end and bent down to place a white rose beside his bouquet of flowers on the grave."…you must have loved her dearly…"

Unlike usual, the alien's voice was like the sound of bells, tenderly invading the silence which had surrounded him.

"…"

He said nothing. The Shinsengumi captain felt empty on the inside as he proceeded to stare blankly at the tombstone…but the Yato understood him anyway.

Sometimes, staying quiet could be enough as reply. After all, a thing such as feelings couldn't always be explained with words… It belonged to a complete different dimension.

They stood there for a good five-ten minutes or so before the young lady decided to break the stillness with a question. A question which carved into the other's memory even long after that meeting…

"To love someone short-lived, yet gentle…or someone long-lived, but cruel…" the girl paused shortly, locks of hair brushed behind her ear as soft gaze shifted to the cloudy sky,

"…I wonder…which is more painful…?"

…

…

…

The crimson-eyed boy walked around the building to look for a way to enter. Without an invitation, the main entrance was out of the question. The backdoor appeared to be protected with a password and he couldn't risk letting the alarm go off, so that didn't work either. As his gaze wandered around, he saw an open window.

Tsk… The things I do because of that gorilla…, Sougo's eyebrow twitched in irritation as he started to climb up some cardboard boxes. After getting on a lower roof, he proceeded up to the open window on the second floor.

Okita climbed through the opening and looked around. He was now standing in a hallway with a red carpet-covered floor. Just when he was wondering how the heck he could find his rival, someone bumped into him.

Speak of the flat-chested alien.

"I-I'm sorry-aru!" Kagura apologized to the stranger(?) she just ran into, but when she looked up and their gazes met, her sky-blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Sa…dist…" By now, the Yato had completely forgotten about the sick feeling from earlier.

Sougo's clothes were too informal to be worn on these kinds of parties. They were just a part of his uniform, after all…but for her, he looked much more dazzling than anybody else.

"So you're the one she talked about…" Takumi spoke up as he walked over to them, "Souchirou-kun, am I right? You're indeed a handsome fella."

"…Arara. China, did you fangirl over me again?"

"Why the hell would I do that-aru – I'm not even a fan!"

"No, just a broken air-conditioner; annoying, useless, and clogged with debris."

"SHUT UP!" Kagura retorted with a frown. Who cared about his good looks? Right now, she just wanted to break his face. "What are you doing here anyway-aru – Are you stalking me? Have you fallen for my beauty?"

"As if." Okita gave his quick answer without a second thought, "I would like you to leave this place; Police work. It's bothersome if you get involved."

"…Since when did you start taking work seriously-aru?"

The green-eyed adult kept watching them argue, a gentle smile plastered on his face. "Why is a police officer attending a terrorist gathering, if I may ask?"

"I'm just doing my job," the sadist replied shortly, but it was clear that he wasn't fond of this person at all, – whoever that was.

"Aren't you just worried about her?

"I'm not."

"It won't hurt to be honest once in awhile."

"It won't hurt to stop talking either."

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend~"

"I'll arrest you."

Kagura could feel the tension between the two of them. What is that guy doing? Couldn't he see that his words annoyed Sougo?

"Takumi-san, stop that-aru. There's nothing between the sadist and I."

"Really? Nothing at all?" The adult asked her before looking back at the boy, "You must be working hard to keep your promise, Sou-chan."

In just an instance, Okita's eyes widened as he unsheathed his weapon and slashed it at the older male. If Togae hadn't been fast enough to block the attack with his own sword, the outcome might not have been pretty.

This came as a surprise for the alien, because she had never seen her crush like this before… In just a jiffy, the sadist had lost his cool. That wasn't just a cut to wound someone—it was a slash filled with killing intent.

"…Who are you?" The sandy-haired youngster glared at Takumi as he asked his question, the metal of their swords clinked at the pressure.

Even though the black-haired adult must have been quite experienced in sword-fighting to be able to save himself, he still had a hard time dealing with the Shinsengumi captain. "I'm Togae Takumi; Kagu-chan's partner. Nice to meet you."

There was a hint of reaction on the sadist's face at the word partner, but he kept his emotionless expression. "That's not what I meant. Who are you?"

"No one in particular," the older male grinned sheepishly at him, "Your name is Souchirou, so Sou-chan would be the most logical nickname, right? Why do you seem surprised? Or did my comment about you being her boyfriend come off as insulting? Forgive me, I was just joking."

"…" Without saying a word, Sougo sheathed his sword to place it back where it belonged. It would have been troublesome if they gained people's attention – His task as a Shinsengumi member was only to observe this terrorist faction, thus there was no need for him to make things more complicated for himself. "I'm not done with you yet."

"How scary~" The black-haired man chuckled as he did the same with his own weapon.

"Sadist, what's…wrong…?" Kagura tried to hide her worry for the boy, but it was shown too clearly through the tone of her voice. "You're not acting like yourself…"

"I should insult you more, then."

"That's not what I meant, you bastard!"

Instead of taking the argument further by replying her like usual, the crimson-eyed boy muttered a "go home" under his breath before he turned around and walked down the hall.

"What's with that jerk-aru," the China-girl's lips formed a pout. As much as his jerky attitude annoyed her to no end, she hated it even more when he treated her this coldly. Because then, she would end up thinking about him too often – which was, of course, quite unpleasant for her.

"Don't be harsh on him," Togae placed a hand on Kagura's head, giving her a light pat. "That guy is trying his best…"

"The sadist is…?" She blinked as she looked up at her client, not understanding what the other was talking about, "What…do you mean-aru? I don't understand…"

"There are many things you want to know about him, right? With time, you'll know…but as of now, I can't tell you anything before you've figured out who I really am," while he was still talking, the terrorist slipped a small piece of paper into her hand, "You did well today, Kagura-chan, – let's meet again soon. There's something I need to ask of you…" After uttering those words, Hajiro headed back to the dining hall.

As the Yato followed behind the police officer out of the building, she realized how little she knew – not only about Takumi, but also about Sougo. What emotions lied beneath that blank expression of his…? What secrets were hidden behind his actions…? She didn't understand him at all…and the more she thought about it, the more complicated things became.

Her client seemed to know something, though. Since that sadist would never reveal anything about himself, the older guy was her only clue – but first, she had to take care of the task which had been given to her.

Finding out who Takumi is, huh…? I can do that…uh-uh.

…

…

…

The sky was filled with warm colors from setting sun. Rays of light had given their surroundings a reddish hue, and the smell of autumn lingered in the air. It might only have been his imagination, but he could also hear a faint noise of a clock ticking in the background…

"Mister…" a voice called out to him so tenderly. He had to squint a bit due to the sunlight before he could see her face clearly. She was very beautiful, that girl…

"Mister… Did you know?" the child whispered softly, "Everything happens for a reason…"

At this point of time, the older male couldn't understand what she meant with those words. He didn't even know who she was… Her presence did something to him however, and it wasn't just emotionally; his whole being felt strange and there was this heavy feeling upon his chest… An unknown sadness.

"Please stay strong…even if the life that awaits you isn't what you wanted…" Tears like tiny drops of crystal started to form in the corners of her eyes…yet, she kept on smiling… A smile filled with…compassion…

Was she crying…for his sake…?

"Even if it's a life…

…

…in darkness…"

[End of Chapter 6]