Chapter 5: Food that you don't have to prepare yourself always tastes the best
He did feel bad about kicking Katsura out. After all, the infuriating idiot might have been a wanted terrorist and, well, an infuriating idiot, but he was most importantly one of Gintoki's closest friends, then and now. So even if he could hardly stand the irritating comments about how the flat was dirty and how Gintoki wasn't taking bringing up the kids seriously enough, he shouldn't have started that fight. For one, it destroyed half the living room and gave the kids a very bad example.
He had half the mind to go and search for the idiot before he got himself arrested when he heard somebody entering his bedroom through the window and immediately forgot all his remorse. And soon after forgave Katsura the new intrusion, because the terrorist has brought two bags of meal ingredients and promised to cook that evening.
'I met the charming officer, earlier today,' Katsura said quietly, after Shinpachi was gone and Kagura went to sleep. Gintoki barely heard him over her snoring, but the words commanded all his attention nevertheless. 'I have to ask you to survive through my presence for a couple more days, Gintoki, I'm sorry.'
'Don't make it sound like I'm kicking you out, you idiot,' Gintoki grumbled, annoyed that Katsura had to voice his request in such a tone. He really did sound as though Gintoki wanted him out, but they both knew that Gintoki was just saying it, right? Obviously, he would have protested if Katsura wanted to make an operation base out of Odd Jobs, but he would never refuse a friend in need.
'You did kick me out earlier today,' Katsura pointed out with that infuriatingly patient tone. 'I thought it would not be a problem, but the officer claimed all my hideouts have been compromised. It will take a while longer for Elizabeth to organize something new, although of course knowing who is the traitor will help.'
'You do nothing in that organization, admit it, Zura. You get- Hey, did you say you know who the traitor is?' he asked, excited because it was good news. Katsura could get rid of the man, set up new hideouts and be out of Gintoki's hair. Truly, they got along much better when they could go their separate ways every evening and ever better when they didn't meet every day.
'It's not Zura, it's Katsura, aren't you ever going to get it right?' Katsura asked back, as usual getting stuck on the wrong thing. But then he continued without pausing for Gintoki to answer, so it was alright. 'I haven't mentioned it before, when we talked with the officer, but one of my people goes by the name of Daiki Ito. He came from the Kiheitai, persuaded by my idea of renouncing violence. Unfortunately, he didn't have any interesting information about Takasugi's plans.'
'Wait a moment: you know that her brother is alive and you haven't said anything?' he hissed, in time remembering that he should not raise his voice, lest he woke up Kagura.
'I wanted to make sure first, at least ask if he has a younger sister. Imagine if it was just a coincidence,' Katsura replied stiffly, sounding insulted by Gintoki's implied accusation. 'And anyway, I assume she knows now, because Ito has been arrested right after the raid on my hideout. He was reckless enough to be having a breakfast downtown, I was told,' he added, a troubled frown on his face.
Ah, Gintoki thought, everything was clear. Ito was a traitor and he was probably meeting the Shinsengumi the day after the raid, except he hasn't known that Katsura has been tipped-off and has left a surprise for the police. And the Shinsengumi must have thought Ito has deliberately led them into a trap if half of Katsura's boasts about the escape were true. He has figured out that they must have been true, because when he saw Hijikata the other day, the man looked ready to kill anybody who got in his way.
'At least everything's clear now and you are spared going through all your people to find the traitor,' he muttered. Katsura nodded slowly.
'I have already told Elizabeth to keep Yoichi out of the loop when she will be setting up new hideouts and keeping the different groups informed,' he said. Gintoki frowned slightly, wondering what was wrong in the sentence. 'It will be difficult to manage without his tactical input, but I'm sure-'
'Who is Yoichi?' Gintoki asked, somehow certain that he was going to regret pursuing the topic. Katsura looked at him as though he has sprouted a second head and, just in case, Gintoki started counting in his head, thinking that he could get a head start in keeping his calm.
'He's the traitor,' Katsura said. Gintoki remembered that tone well: it was the one Katsura used when he felt he needed to explain something that was obvious to somebody who appeared slow in uptake. 'He was the only one who knew where Ito was eating usually, having been keeping a very careful eye on him. I think he never approved of the ex-Kiheitai, but I can't believe that he even went as far as using his rival as a scapegoat, probably to appease the Shinsengumi after the failed raid.'
Gintoki counted some more in his head, ignoring Katsura's question whether he was alright and the subsequent, nonsensical babble.
'Zura,' he interrupted the flow of words only when he was sure he would not scream out in frustration. It was crucial to not wake Kagura up. His friend trailed of and looked at him with that politely attentive expression of his. 'I'm trying real hard here so please appreciate it that I am not currently in the process of throwing you out through the window,' he announced through clenched teeth.
'Gintoki, did you eat something bad?' Katsura asked after a brief moment of consideration. 'Now that I think about it, the ramen-'
'You idiot,' Gintoki hissed, startling Katsura. Kagura shifting in her bed made them both pause and look her way and it was thankfully enough to remind Gintoki why fighting was a bad idea: a half-asleep Yato was the worst of the opponents, because they didn't recognize their allies. And so he took a deep breath and quietly explained to Katsura who the traitor was and how he knew that, ignoring the doubtful look his friend was giving him.
Their conversation eventually, predictably, deteriorated into an argument involving tactics, the most efficient way of cooking rice, the art of war, uno and many other aspects of daily life that Gintoki didn't bother remembering. It was enough that it reminded him, distinctly, of the conversations they used to have in the other, happier life and he thought, although he would never admit it out loud, that maybe it was nice to have Katsura around, sometimes. As he went to sleep, Zura sleeping on the futon next to his, just like he had back in the temple school, Gintoki thought that maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to have Katsura stay over longer.
Waking up to hear that "all self-respecting people have already gone to work" and he should "become more serious, because the clients were not going to find themselves" and that the "rent wouldn't pay itself" he revised his opinion. He wasn't going to survive a single minute more than necessary in the company of that infuriating idiot and even the delicious breakfast waiting for him and the black hole of a girl he kept around was not going to buy him this time, no way.
This time, however, he kept in mind what Katsura told him the previous evening. Instead of kicking the other out, again, he said something about job and rent, knowing that Katsura would completely ignore the malicious tone, he left. And he took Kagura with him, because he had no desire to see what she and the pea-brained terrorist would come up with if left alone.
'I was still eating and the food was really good,' Kagura grumbled as they were going down the street. 'Why did we have to leave so quickly? We don't really have a job today, do we?' she asked. Gintoki sighed.
'You ate three helpings of rice, you bottomless black hole,' he complained, unsurprised when Kagura pointed out that there was much more rice left and she could have had a fourth and fifth helping as well. Sadaharu, who followed them out, barked in agreement. Gintoki didn't bother replying, wondering what they should do with their day.
Going back to the Odd Jobs was out of question. Katsura would be there, nagging him about unpaid bills and work ethics or something equally unimportant. Stopping by to gamble a bit was out of question as well. Kagura would get bored and leave, most probably to go back home, and he knew better than to leave her and Katsura unsupervised. He couldn't even go and enjoy a parfait, because he has had one two days earlier.
They ended up wasting most of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon, joined by Shinpachi at some point, which wasn't bad actually. It has been a while since they have gone for a walk along the river or window shopping in the busier streets. Sadaharu got his share of exercise in the park. The late spring day couldn't have been more perfect for lazing around outside.
Eventually, they decided to go back to the Odd Jobs, having bought enough dango to share with Katsura, because Gintoki did feel the tiniest bit guilty for leaving like he had, without even thanking Zura for the breakfast. The sun was setting and Gintoki almost missed the familiar, unwelcome figure standing in a small alley perpendicular to the street he was on. He did a double take and sure enough the man was still there, headphones on his ears and a shamisen casually slung across his back.
Why was one of the main Kiheitai agents in Edo?
He wasn't sure where that thought came from, but once it had Gintoki could no longer ignore it. He noticed that Bansai, standing with his back to Gintoki, was very clearly meeting somebody and just from the other man's appearance, he could tell it was a shady business. He was considering his options when the suspicious man looked right at him. Their gazes met and the thug spoke two words that Gintoki could easily read from his lips:
White Demon.
Bansai stiffened, but rather than running away, like Gintoki expected, he shook hands with the other man. Some money exchanged owners and only then did the Kiheitai acknowledge Gintoki's presence. He turned around with a mocking smirk and threw a careless salute while the other man pocketed the money without counting it. Gintoki was unpleasantly reminded about the last time Kiheitai have been doing business in Edo. What was it going to be this time?
Bansai turned away and left and, as Gintoki made to follow, the other man in the alley put a hand around the hilt of his katana. He was looking straight at Gintoki, who realised that he wouldn't be allowed to follow the Kiheitai. Not without a fight in any case, and a fight was the last thing he wanted on the crowded street.
'Gin-chan?' Kagura called out from up ahead. It seemed that she and Shinpachi, busy with their discussion, haven't noticed him stopping. All the better, he thought, turning towards her. With the corner of his eye, he saw the thug in the alley follow his gaze.
'Coming, coming,' he called out, forcing on a casual tone, gripping the handle of his bokutou. He knew that Kagura could hold her ground, hell, she could probably pulverize that stupid thug. Yet still, he has found recently that he didn't appreciate people threatening the kids.
Without a second glance towards the alley, he went to join the kids. When they asked why he stopped, he told them he has seen a girl cosplaying as Tsunade from Naruto and they didn't question his lie. Well, they did: Kagura grumbled about perverted men who probably saw dirty things and Shinpachi expressed his doubt about Gintoki's sanity. But they haven't gone to check and that was the important part.
All the way home nothing happened. Kagura continued her cheerful observations and Shinpachi continued to correct her whenever she got an expression wrong or admonish her whenever she said something a young girl like her should not say. The latter happened especially often. Ginoki wondered if he should warn the Shinsengumi about Kiheitai's possible moves. It would be nice if the police took care of what was going on, rather than him having to risk his life as he had when Takasugi was playing around with the Benizakura.
Then again, he could hardly come up to the gorilla, or the mayo addict or the sadist for that matter, and tell them he has seen a Kiheitai's agent downtown. For one, it would open up on questions he wasn't looking forward to answering, like why he knew how Kiheitai's agents looked like. He would tell Karma, but she wouldn't be able to forward his warning on in the Shinsengumi without facing problematic questions as well and he didn't want to endanger Katsura's source of information.
Perhaps he could tell Katsura, even though that option presented a whole different set of risks.
The last choice was made for him when he entered the flat and realised it was impeccably clean and completely empty, a batch of fresh onigiri left on the kitchen countertop and a note of "thank you for your hospitality" calligraphed carefully and left on his desk. He knew all too well that Katsura had no concept of irony and generally refused to lie no matter the situation and thus has actually meant what he wrote. Next time, he thought guiltily, he would act hospitably.
Of course the feeling of guilt didn't stop him from fighting with Kagura for the onigiri, which were as delicious as always. And the following day he was glad to be able to sleep in after four days of rude, early morning wake up calls.