Helloooo guysss, it's me
Sorry for not uploading the next chapter for a veeeeery long time (*bows)
I have a lot of reasons for that...
First, school just started I guess three or four weeks ago (I'm not sure...) and we were given tons of work to do at the first day
Second, I planned on posting this last week but then I was very very sick (because of stress) so I wasn't able to do so.
Third, The internet connection. (You know what I mean...)
Lastly, I was so focused on my studies 'cause I'm aiming to maintain my position in the top (hopefully, I'll be able to do it...)
I'm very very sorry guys for making you wait (*bows again and cries)
So now, I'm presenting to you the very first chapter of Here Beside You
Enjoy~ (*smiles)
Disclamer: I don't own Gintama. If I owned it, I would not be making fanfictions like this and make it a reality~
Here beside You
Chapter One
Kagura's POV
"OIIIII KAGURA! WHERE'S MY STRAWBERRY MILK?!"
It's been years since I heard that voice…I wonder who's the one talking. As I woke up, I saw a very nostalgic scene. A scene where a certain drunk silver-haired man wakes up a pretty girl asking where his strawberry milk is. And then the girl will fall asleep again, not minding the words of the ranting man. That man will continue to protest to the girl until the latter wakes up. But sorry for him, because instead of an answer to his question, the man will receive a punch on his face, that will send him flying few meters away.
"Shut up! Don't disturb my beauty sleep, Gin-chan!" The girl will shout and go back to sleep.
It feels very familiar…the two of them seems to be very happy, but it only brings pain to my heart. Watching that scene from afar made me give a wry smile but at the same time, it crushes my heart. I wonder why.
"Kagura, we're here"
When I woke up, I saw my older brother with a smile on his face while waking me up.
"Huh? Are you crying?" He asked. "Silly you. Did you miss this country so much that it made you cry?"
I shook my head and wiped my tears away. I stood up and went ahead of my brother to go outside. I was shocked by the scene that I saw. Nothing changed. Nothing really changed – The sunny weather, busy streets and noisy people – they're all the same since the day that I left. I felt relieved, but at the same time, scared. Though once again, I don't know the reason why.
"So Kagura, Onii-chan will go ahead now." Kamui said while patting my head. "Don't become weak just because you returned here, okay?"
And then he went inside the terminal and waved to me. I guess he will return to his old job once again. What do I expect, he only became an alien hunter because he learned that I became as strong as him and accompanied me. So now that I've taken a break from hunting here, he will once again leave me and come back once I'm done with my business here.
Normal POV
Kabuki-cho
Busy streets and wild people, it's all the same. That's what was in Kagura's mind while aimlessly wandering in the lively streets of Kabuki-cho. Though the external appearance did not change, the internal content did. There were so many faces that she did not recognize, and compared to 6 years ago, there were more people that lived there.
"I'm hungry…"
She thought as she heard her stomach growling. Then an idea popped into her mind. She went to her usual shop where she buys her favorite sukonbu. She was so excited, for it has already been 6 years since she last ate a pack.
"Obaa-chan! 20 packs of sukonbu!" She shouted.
However, instead of an old woman's voice, she heard a man's voice. Wondering, he asked the man about the old woman who was the shopkeeper of the store.
"Ahh that was my mom." The man answered while preparing the packs of sukonbu.
"'Was'? Where is she?" Kagura asked seriously.
Suddenly, the man's face was filled with sadness. "She died. Two years ago."
Kagura was speechless. She didn't know how to react. She just stared at the man blankly while trying to get over by that news.
"My mother died because of old age. Of course all of her regular customers visited her while she was in the hospital, but she kept asking whether a small girl with vermillion hair came. Every day, she would always ask me that question, but I really didn't know." Then the man started to cry. "And then on her final day, she asked the question once again but I just reluctantly said no.
Kagura was still speechless. She forgot that when she left the planet and her emotions, she also left behind the people who were so important for her without saying a word. At first, she did not regret it. She considered it as an atonement for her 'sin'. But now, she doesn't know anymore. Now that she learned that someone died while waiting for her, she felt a little guilty. She felt so heavy, as if the burden left behind 6 years ago was increased by the death of the old woman who kept waiting for her. Though she's very broken and sad deep inside, she still kept her composure on and did not show any emotions on her face. Just a dull poker face.
Because of what she did, Kagura felt a little scared. What if I they're mad at me? What if I don't have anywhere to go to? What if I don't belong here anymore? What if…I'm all…alone? She kept asking those questions to herself. She looked down and kept cursing herself. She doesn't know what to do anymore.
"Uhmm…miss?" the shopkeeper asked, wiping his tears away.
"Wh-what?" she jolted.
"Here's your sukonbu."
And then she grabbed the bag from the shopkeeper. She planned on leaving immediately because the man must be angry with the girl who made his mom wait for long. But when she grabbed the bag, she noticed that it was a little heavier than usual. She looked inside the bag and surprised by what she saw. There she saw, 70 packs of sukonbu and a paper.
"Nee ojii-san, I just ordered 20." She calmly complained. "Can't you count properly? You gave me 70"
"Ahh yes. I added 50 extra sukonbu." The shopkeeper answered happily
"Why? Out of business?"
"Mom said to give that girl 50 sukonbu when she comes. And you really came." Then the vendor smiled at her and sighed. "She was right…this girl have an offensive mouth and she…sure doesn't sugarcoat her words…"
Then Kagura stared at him then ran away. She could not explain her feeling but she felt so heavy, but still she was so happy. She felt relieved because of what just happened. She felt that some of the emotions that she left behind came back to her. She kept running until she reached the park where she usually stayed when she was walking her dog, Sadaharu. Then another idea popped on her mind.
"I'll visit them while I'm here!"
And then her usual positive side came back but, that was only a façade. Then again she started walking until she caught the sight of the familiar building where she stayed 6 years ago. She went closer to the building and saw that it still looks the same as the past 6 years. Kagura felt a little happy about that, but also had some doubts. She slowly went inside of the shop, until she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"K-Kagura-chan?"
When Kagura heard that voice behind her, she could not control her emotions anymore. She was full excitement, happiness and a little bit of fear. Well, it's been 6 years since she heard that irritating voice. Yes, the voice of a glasses wearing a human, Shinpachi. Slowly, she turned around to see what kind of face that boy has after 6 years without contact with each other. She planned on teasing him because of his super surprised and funny face that she expected. However, instead of an astounded face, what she saw was a face full of disbelief and irritation.
"What did you come here for?" he asked furiously.
"P-patsuan…?" That's the only thing she was able to say. She was utterly shocked by Shinpachi's reaction.
"Why did you come here?" he asked again. "After leaving us years ago without a word, why did you suddenly return here?!"
"Shinpachi…I came here to visit all of you."
"Visit? After leaving us clueless, you're just going to casually visit us?" He said. "You will leave us again, worried about your condition and your whereabouts?"
"P-patsuan, hear me out – "
"You don't know how worried Otose-san and my sister are…" he said. "Aneue even collapsed while searching for you, day and night. She didn't care about what happens to her, as long as she can find you."
"Eh? Anego did tha – "
"Tama-san scanned around the whole Edo to search for you. She even over-heated in the process." He said again, not letting Kagura finish her sentence. "Catherine-san and Otose-san took the liberty of taking care and calming Sadaharu for he was too wild when he learned that you were gone. They did that even though they are full of dog bites"
Speechless, Kagura was only able to look Shinpachi's maddened face with her own terrified face. She really had no idea that her departure 6 years ago would make him this angry. She can't believe that she made tons of people suffer, and those people were her loved ones. She didn't know that they did so much sacrifices for her. Still, she can't blame anyone but only herself. It's true that it's her fault for suddenly leaving them in the air. It's her own fault for leaving because of her own selfishness and emotions. But she didn't expect these outcomes.
"Speechless, huh" then he gave a wry smile. "Then leave."
"Huh?"
"I said leave! Go away!" He shouted.
Kagura was, again, speechless. Her mind and heart cannot bear her overflowing emotions. She was so shocked by Shinpachi's outraged face. Her mind was blank. She was unable to speak for her own. She cannot think of anything that would make him listen to her.
"What? You don't want to? You're going to stay here again, make us happy and then leave once more?" He said, this time with tears flowing from his eyes.
"If you're going to do that, then go away. I don't want Aneue and the others be hurt again…BY YOU"
"B-but Patsuan I – "
"LEAVE NOW! And you have no right to call me by that name. He is the only one who's allowed to call me that."
With him shouting at her and never letting the latter finish her sentences, she ran away. For the first time in 6 years, she cried once again so hard. She cursed and cursed and cursed herself for what she had just done. She didn't consider the feelings of the ones she left behind. She was there, spending her years happily while the others kept searching for her and were worried for her. She was so selfish. She hated herself. She wanted to kill herself. She was unable to defend herself from Shinpachi's anger. Normally, she would just shout at him and ask him why he is angry but this time, she was incapable of doing it. Why? Because everything that he said was true.
She kept running and running until she reached a place that was very unknown and new to her. It was a very beautiful lake surrounded by green summer trees. It was so beautiful. It was so beautiful that she can't stop crying,
"I'm sorry…everyone…I'm sorry"
She kept apologizing to everyone and kept crying. Her eyes were all red and swollen. He breathing was out of sync. She wanted to talk to someone that might want to accompany her but, she realized something. She realized that she was alone. No one cared for her anymore. No one accepts her anymore. No one…remembers her true face. She was all alone.
Convinced by that answer, she looked up in the sky and then looked at the beautiful scenery in front of her. She was still crying and thought: "It's so pretty…" That view made her think that maybe Gin-chan and the others would be happy if they saw that view. But then she remembered, that it was impossible. There's no way they will be able to enjoy that scenery happily after everything that happened and after leaving them. It's almost impossible to adore that scenery after leaving a large scar on their hearts. She was thinking all of that until she heard someone talk far behind her.
"Oi you sentimental woman over there! Move away. Your gloomy mood destroys the beauty of this scene."
Surprised, Kagura was only able to stop crying and recall on whose voice it belonged to. Until she remembered the face of a certain man she hated so much. But she can't remember his name, nor what she calls him. Her memory was too hazy to recall it because of what just happened with Shinpachi.
The only way to remember it was to look at his face. Slowly she turned around and was able to peek at the face of the young man. And what she was far from what she had expected.
"What's with that look? As if you saw a ghost. Do you want to be killed?" The man asked again.
She didn't reply to the man's question. She was still inspecting the man. She was expecting a man clad in black outfit, with short sandy brown hair and reddish brown eyes. But what she saw was a man wearing a red uwagi, gray-colored hakama and a beige-colored scarf around his neck. That man also had 2 swords, one long and the other one short. Sure he had sandy brown hair, but his hair was tied with a ponytail and his eyes were deep bloody red. And he was way taller than the man that she was imagining a while ago. Then a person popped in her mind.
"H*mura K*nshin? Are you cosplaying him?" She asked.
"Huh? Who's that? Don't go telling me that I'm cosplaying or what. We don't even know each other" He said while scratching the back of his head. "By the way, who are you?"
"K-kagura."
Upon hearing the girl's name, the man's sharp eyes suddenly became round and he blinked twice. He wasn't sure if he heard her right. It's been years since he last heard that name. He looked carefully at the woman and realized that they had the same vermillion-colored hair and azure eyes. The only difference was the body structure and clothing. The woman had the curves which she didn't have 6 years ago. With that, he finally concluded. It was really her. His own China beast rival.
"C-china?!"
That nickname made Kagura remember the name of the man. Okita Sougo. The Prince of the Planet of Sadists that she hated so much. Her own Sadist bastard rival.
"Sadist?!"
Aaaaaand that's for the first chapter. Hurray! (*claps)
For those who were disappointed for Okita's short appearance in the story, I'm very sorry. I planned on making him appear earlier but then I realized some problems when I'm going to do it. (it's a secret)
But fear not, my friends, because for sure in the next chapter, Okita will have a looooot of scenes there with Kagura. I PROMISE.
But I have some bad news...
1. I will be posting the next chapter maybe on August because our school will be celebrating our centennial year so we have to make a lot of preparations, especially since our class is the best or star section in our grade level (Grade 8)
2. Surely, because of that the teachers will give us tons of projects regarding that celebration so I will be busy this month of July.
That's why I'm going to apologize right away so you won't be angry or sad. But I also promise that I'll be posting the second and third chapter at the same time, as an apology for you guys...
Again, I'm veeeery sorry for all of you guys (*cries and bows) Please don't be mad at me.(*shiver) Be mad at our school (hehehehehe just kidding)
Feel free to review your opinions, violent reactions, etc.
Thank you beri beri mats~ (*waves and smiles)