Disclaimer: The characters of Gintama belong to Sorachi Hideaki. :)

Authors Note: Um, hola? DON'T KILL ME! I'm sorry I left you guys for what? Almost a month? Ugh, I got so far away from everything. I haven't watched any anime for about two months… Enjoy chapter 23!

Chap. 23 Blood Running Through Your Veins, Blood Running Down Your Face, or Having Eyes That are Pools of Blood? Whatever Looks Good I Guess…

Gintoki blinks, dropping the elder's dead body, taking the sword with it. It hits the ground with a loud thud, dark crimson red drips from the corner of the elder's mouth. Gintoki stares into the cold listless eyes. He sighs, running a hand through his silver curls. "This just became a bigger pain in the ass…"

Gintoki slowly looks around. All of his friends finishing the job. He squints, looking past them. Gintoki shakes his head slowly. "There's only the door in the front and the one at the top of the stairs. All the windows are destroyed. Where would someone be watching…?" Gintoki's eyes widen. He chuckles. "I can't really be thinking about this, can I?" He looks out of the corner of his eye. "There's no one watching…" He whispers.

Gintoki sighs, turning to join his friends. Gintoki's eyes widen slightly as he whips around, his eyes catching a dark silhouette in the corner. The figure was dressed in a black cloak. A hood over his hanging head, obscuring his features.

Gintoki takes a small step forward, but stops mid-step as the cloaked figure's head rises, slightly. Gintoki lets out a shallow breath, his eyes widening as he realizes he almost gasped. He's never gasped in his life, but he can't help it. The figure's eyes. They were blood red.

Gintoki takes another step forward, but stops cold as the figure smiles, showing two rows of sharp teeth.

Gintoki raises an eyebrow. "What the hell…" He whispers.

"GIN- CHAN!" Kagura screams, running towards Gintoki, jumping onto his back.

Gintoki cries out as fresh blood squeezes through his cuts.

"Ah, Gin- chan!" Kagura screams, only squeezing Gintoki harder.

"Kagura- chan!" Shinpachi screams. "Gin- san's injured!"

Kagura jumps off Gintoki's back, an innocent look on her face. "Oh…"

"Oh my ass!" Gintoki screams.

"Calm down Gin- san! Your wounds will open further!" Shinpachi scolds. Shinpachi squints, patting the air in front of him.

"More than me you should worry about yourself!" Gintoki yells. "I knew there was something different! 94% of you is gone!"

"94%!" Shinpachi screams. "My glasses make up almost all of me?!"

Gintoki snorts. "We've been over this. 94% glasses, 5% trash, and 1% water."

"There's no ME in there!" Shinpachi screams. Shinpachi glares at the air when he hears sobbing. "What the hell are you crying for?!"

"Shin… pachi!" Kagura sobs. "Gin- chan! I almost forgot! Shinpachi was… crushed!"

"Hah?! I'm right here dammit!" Shinpachi screams.

"I'm going to call an ambulance!" Kagura screams, sprinting towards the broken down double doors. "AAAMMMBBBUUULLLAAANNNCCCEEE!" She screams.

"Hey! This already happened! My glasses don't need a damn ambulance! Shinpachi's right here!" Shinpachi screams, chasing after her.

Gintoki sighs, running a hand through his silver curls. "Things seem back to norm-" His eyes widen his mouth snaps shut, whipping around. The man in the corner was gone. Gintoki groans loudly, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion. "I wonder if that was him…" He mumbles.

"I want to see your blood paint the ground a bright red!" Takasugi unsheathes his sword quickly, taking a fast step forward, swinging his sword.

Katsura falls back in surprise. "Takasugi?!"

Takasugi's eye widens slightly in slight madness. "Zura… shut up and die!" He screams, raising his sword in the air. He grins, bringing it down fast. Katsura shuts his eyes quickly. No time to think.

Takasugi blinks as blood drips onto the ground, but it's not Katsura's blood.

"Ahahaha! Bakasugi! That was mean!" Tatsuma exclaims.

"You…" Takasugi mumbles in astonishment.

"Whoa~ Cool, gunman." Kamui whistles.

Tatsuma smirks, grabbing the blade with his fingertips of his free hand, releasing the blade from his arm, blood slowly overflowing, spilling to the ground. Tatsuma chuckles, looking over his sunglasses, his eyes daring. "You know… Takasugi." He holds up his bloodied arm. "Were you really trying to kill Zura? You didn't even swing hard enough to take my arm off."

"What are you doing…?" Takasugi asks edgily.

Tatsuma slowly grins. "Just stopping a fight between friends."

Takasugi's eyes darken. "Even you… Even you still think like that."

Tatsuma smirks. "Were you expecting us to change our minds? Takasugi… People in this world hide their emotions with changing the way they show others. Everyone expects the inside to change to, but it never does."

"Hmph, really? Well, I've changed quite a lot." Takasugi says with a smirk.

Tatsuma smiles. "Hm. Guess I wouldn't know."

Takasugi's eye narrows. "I've had enough of this." He says turning back towards the exit.

"Oi." Kamui whispers darkly. "I told you I was going to kill you."

Takasugi smirks, walking to the exit. "Well… come at me while my back is turned."

Kamui grins, his eyes alight with bloodlust. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

"Don't." Tatsuma says with a glare.

Kamui chuckles. "You think you could stop me Gunman?"

Tatsuma smirks. "Yeah I think I can." He says with a click of his gun. He points it at Kamui, daring him to move.

"What are you idiots doing?" Gintoki asks, walking up behind Kamui.

Kamui turns around in surprise, but only to start chuckling. "You look like hell."

"Thanks." Gintoki says with a glare.

"Ahahaha Kintoki!" Tatsuma exclaims. He holds up his gun. "I can make another bullet hole for you!"

"Go die!" Gintoki seethes. Gintoki looks over at Katsura who was staring at the doors, a distant look in his eyes. He raises an eyebrow. "Yo Zura! Did you lose at Pachinko or something?"

"That's you, you idiot." Katsura says with a glare.

Gintoki nods. "Oh, I know what happened."

Katsura sighs. "Yeah, he really did change too much."

Gintoki raises an eyebrow. "He? I thought your wife left you again Pedoro."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Who the hell's Pedoro?!" Katsura screams.

Gintoki sighs. "Zura… Don't get so hung up in the past. You may never be able to get away from it… Your wife though, she got away from you pretty fast Pedoro."

"Who's Pedoro?!"

"Yo~!" Ryouta says walking up to them, Abuto and the shogun in tow.

Shogun raises a concerned brow. "Gintoki, you don't look so good."

"Ah, I'm fine." Gintoki looks around. "Um, what happened to all the elders?"

Shogun sighs. "We managed to kill one, the one with me and Ryouta, but the rest ran off somewhere." He smiles. "Though I see you were also successful."

"Successful? Yeah right…" Gintoki says quietly, the cloaked man's eyes coming to his mind.

Abuto glares at Kamui. "I see someone else was… successful."

"I didn't even get to kill him." Kamui pouts. "It would have been boring though. He was still injured…" Kamui jolts at a sudden scream.

"AAAMMMBBBUUULLLAAANNNCCCEEE!"

Kamui's eye twitches, whipping around to see his sister. "Dumbass! Stop screaming!" Kamui screams.

"Hah?! What'd you say asshole?" Kagura says, with a glare, walking over to him.

"Why the hell do you need an ambulance?" Kamui asks, gritting his teeth.

Kagura's eyes narrow, holding out the broken glasses. "Shinpachi's injured."

"That's not Shinpachi, you idiot."

Kagura laughs. "Of course you wouldn't know, you haven't been here long enough." She points at the glasses. "This IS Shinpachi."

"It's a pair of glasses, stupid." Kamui growls.

"It's SHINPACHI!" Kagura screams, smashing the glasses into Kamui's face.

Kamui closes his eyes on instinct, gritting his teeth as the broken lens goes into his face.

"See what you did to Shinpachi now?!" Kagura growls.

Kamui shakes his head, his eyes opening slowly. "Son of a bitch!" He screams, pouncing on her.

Kagura screams as they wrestle each other, rolling across the floor. Kagura opens her mouth wide, biting Kamui's shoulder hard.

Kamui hisses, grabbing Kagura's hair, yanking it.

Kagura cries out, pounding her fists against Kamui's head.

"OW! Stupid!" Kamui screams, yanking her hair harder.

Abuto shakes his head slowly as he bursts out laughing. "Captain! This is the first time I've seen you fight like a girl!"

Kamui whips his head around, his eyes fierce. "What'd you say?!"

"Ha!" Kagura exclaims, grabbing Kamui's braid, yanking it.

Kamui cries out as he's yanked to the side, rolling a few feet away from Kagura.

"Yay! I win!" Kagura screams in victory. "Huh?" Kagura, looks at confusion at the black ring in her hand. "W-Wait, this can't be." Her eyes widen as Kamui sits up.

Kamui shakes his head, his hair falling into his face. He pushes up his bangs, glaring at Kagura. "Give it back." He growls.

Kagura bites her lip, but she can't help it as she bursts out laughing. "I couldn't even remember if you ever had your hair down. You look like a girl!"

"Give it back!" Kamui screams, launching himself at her, wrestling her to the ground again.

Abuto sighs. "Again?!" He looks at Gintoki. "Break them up!"

Gintoki snorts. "Me?! Aren't you his nanny?"

"Aren't her mother?!" Abuto retorts.

"You want to go old man?!" Gintoki screams.

"Stop!" Shogun interrupts, standing between them. "We have no time to fight amongst ourselves."

"He's right. C'mon Abuto." Kamui says, walking up to them, his braid over his shoulder.

Abuto raises an eyebrow. "Huh? You got your hair braided that fast?"

Gintoki's eyes turn to disgust. "You… You braid your hair faster than Pedoro's wife could run away from him."

"Would you get off that already!" Katsura screams.

Kamui sighs. "Abuto, let's get the rest of the squad gathered up. We're leaving."

Abuto nods, walking to find the rest of the squad. Ryouta tagging along.

Tatsuma rubs the back of his head. "Ahahaha! Well, I better get back or Mutsu will kill me."

Katsura sighs. "I need to go also..."

"Zura…" Gintoki says quietly.

"What? You going to let off another Pedoro remark?" Katsura sneers.

Gintoki chuckles. "Zura… Don't do anything you'll regret."

Katsura raises an eyebrow. "Regret? Gintoki what do you mean? I wasn't going to do anything…"

Gintoki shrugs. "You never know…"

Katsura smirks. "Okay, I'll try." He turns, walking towards the double doors.

Shogun sighs. "Well Gintoki…" He smiles. "Ready to have that glass of strawberry milk?"

Gintoki chuckles. "My pleasure Sho- kun."

"How did you find me…?" A chilling voice asks.

Takasugi smirks. "It wasn't very hard…"

The figure steps out of the alley, revealing his dark compelling features. "Why do you require my services?" The voice asks.

"I don't require your services…" Takasugi says, smiling. "I would like your help.."

"Help…? I don't believe I do services for free."

Takasugi chuckles. "Did I say free? I'll give you what you most desire."

The man chuckles. "And what is that?"

Takasugi smirks. "The Shiroyasha."

The man's eyes widen slightly. "You're Takasugi Shinsuke aren't you?" He chuckles. "This is quite… ironic. Fine…" He smirks. "What would you like me to help with?"

Takasugi grins. "I would like you to help me destroy the world."

The man laughs. "That sounds like fun…"

"But… more than the world, I would like to destroy the Tendoshuu." Takasugi says.

Oboro grins. "Now… that seems like even more fun…"

Authors Note: ***WARNING*** IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO OBORO IS! READ THE MANGA CHAPTERS 386- 399! Well, okay. I'm not sure if some of you guys haven't read the manga, so I didn't know if I should add him in there… Well, that took a while to finish. I don't know why… DISCLAIMER: The whole Pedoro thing is Sorachi's parody of My Neighbor Totoro.