"Going somewhere?"
A girl stood dead at her tracks as her father glared down at the small figure who was about to walk out of the house with a purple furoshiki wrapped around her back and a Japanese style lunch box in her hand that looked too much for her to eat. The lunch box had a pink, sakura patterned furoshiki covering it.
The purple, short haired girl turned around to face her father who she loved with her whole heart, even if he only adored her older brother.
This was the time before Bakufu had taken over Edo, even before Joui War, and everything was made out of trees, mud, and Takē. Even the houses and the sandals people wore were made out of Takē (bamboo).
The girl stared up at her hateful father with a wide smile, answering, "I am going to give this to Takkun! He forgot his lunch, today!"
"Doesn't he always?" her father, Norio, murmured.
"Bye, Father. I will be back in no time," said the small girl, keeping her smile, and ran out of the house.
Norio sighed, knowing that his children, Shinsuke and Shineko, was up to something. Because he had seen Shinsuke take the lunch his mother had made for him.
Shineko ran to where her brother's school was, this was one of her daily routine. Wake up, make her 'brother's' lunch because he had 'forgotten' it, disrupt the class her brother was in, hand a silver haired boy the lunch she had made for her 'brother', and sit beside her brother and learn what the teacher says with them.
The teacher didn't mind about this, at all. But it was against school's/government rule for a girl to be taught in school. During this period of time, women were to just be kept at home to do house work and men were to go to school and learn about the history of Japan then to be taught to become a samurai.
But Shineko hated the rule. She always wondered why women had to do all the house work (which she hated so much) and men get to go around the village of Edo (wasn't a city yet) and become a samurai. She wanted to be a samurai. She didn't care if it was against the country's law. She WANTED to become one. She yearned for education, also. So she had begged her brother to let her allowed to do this and he surprisingly agreed. The teacher didn't mind at all and when she had began coming to school, she had learned a silver haired boy in the back of the room had never brought lunch, before. He had always looked hungry during lunch and she felt a tad pity for him, so, she had decided to make lunch for him. It only had started a week ago, although, she loved doing this.
"Shineko, why do such thing for him?" asked Shinsuke, staring weirdly at her sister as he ate his lunch.
She shrugged as she smiled. "I don't feel too great to see someone in pain."
"More like starving to death then to be in pain..." her brother mumbled.
A figure stood before them, then the person dropped a familiar lunch box wrapped in a pink furoshiki.
"Put more sugar in Tamagoyaki. The rice was hard and disgusting. The salmon was too salty and also the pickles. And put more pudding in it! Two isn't enough for me. And also, the Nikujyaga didn't have any taste! I only could taste the potatoes!" the silvered haired boy, Gintoki, said, "but... um... thanks," he said then walked away, his face blushing like he had seen a naked woman.
Shineko's smile widened. She had looked like she had seen Santa Claus.
"He said thanks!" she said to her brother, almost too happily.
"You only heard that part? What about the other mean things he said to you?" Shinsuke asked.
Shineko was just in her own world.
'Was it that great to get thanks by Gintoki?' Shinsuke thought as she watched his little sister talking happily at Zura.
Little did he know the crush her sister had on his friend.
I stared at Kamui who was fighting with Housen and helped Ungyō out from the ground. He was buried by Kamui just with his left foot.
It was creepy.
I was dressed in my normal clothes now.
I had bandages wrapped around my upper body and my right eye, loosened her hair from the pony tail she had, only had the left side of her kimono on and the right side hanging on the side, her left arm rested on the inner part of the kimono, and she wore a smile on her face.
"Hn. Why did I know Nanako joining Yoshiwara had something to do with the mission of assassinating me?" Housen asked as he blocked an attack from Kamui. "Or shall I say Shineko?"
A chortle escaped from my lips and earned a weird look from both Ungyō and Abuto.
"Saaa," replied Kamui.
I turned to Abuto, getting tired of the fact this fight was getting no where. "I think we should just stop them."
Abuto sighed. "All right."
Ungyō, Abuto, and I went to stop their attack.
When we had stopped the fight, I had my hands on both Housen and Kamui's hands. But that wasn't it. Kamui had his hand through Ungyō's heart, and Housen through Abuto's left arm, tearing it off. And if I hadn't grabbed them sooner, they would have gone through my body and into each other's.
"I think losing a life and an arm would be enough," said Abuto.
"And few bones too," I said with a smile and twisted both of Kamui and Housen's wrists. Kamui kept a straight face and so did Housen which was no fun.
"That wasn't needed, Shineko-chan," commented Abuto with a sigh as he put his umbrella back.
I let go of Kamui and Housen's hands and soon, Ungyō's dead body lied on the ground.
"Tch. Brat," I heard Housen mumble.
I just smiled, satisfied with my work on breaking my captain and the captain's teacher's wrists.
"And I thought I warned you all to not interfere with the battle," Kamui said to Abuto and I.
"I didn't think Ungyō was this weak," was my answer.
"Well, let's look for Seita since he ran away," Kamui suggested or more like commanded.
"I have stuff to do," I said.
He turned to me with his smile. "Don't die."
I smirked. "Like I will."
Kagura was Kamui's sister.
How could I not figure that out sooner?
It was pretty damn obvious.
I strolled down the streets of Yoshiwara, bored out of mind. I told Kamui a lie because I didn't give a crap about finding that kid.
It was when I was walking down an dark alley when Abuto dropped fell from the sky.
He groaned in pain as he sat up and leaned against a wall, not acknowledging me.
I walked up to him and bent down. "Are ya all right?"
He smirked. "Shouldn't you be asking our captain that? He went to see Hinowa with that kid and I think Housen is after them, too."
I shrugged. "Housen isn't strong as he seems."
Abuto eyed me curiously. "You're a human, aren't you?"
I nodded.
"How strong are you?"
"Strong enough to kill a guy."
He gave me a blank look and I responded with a sheepish laugh.
"I want to try fighting with you."
I stared at him then at his left arm... well there was an arm there.
"No. The person has to have two arms, two legs, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, a... a... ten fingers!"
Abuto stared at me, blankly.
I sighed then stood up. "I'm going."
"Ditching, again?"
I shook my head. "Nah," I answered then jumped out the alley before he could ask me anymore.
I had found my captain standing on a roof of the tower Housen was supposed to be in. The tower looked like a dragon has been in it but I shrugged the thought off, not caring of the fact that everyone except Kamui might have died.
Why I knew Kamui had not died? Because he didn't seem to be th person to die this soon. You know, someone that's close to you doesn't seem like he or she would die of cancer or anything but die of old age? Yeah, I'm talking about that.
Anyways, I had found Kamui but he wasn't the only one there.
Gin-san, Kagura, the boy with glasses, Seita, three ninja women, a beautiful lady/prostitute, and Tsukuyo.
...and Housen who was lying on one of the roof, staring at the sun that shown brightly in the sky like it had won a lottery or something. Oh wait...
The beautiful lady in a wonderful kimono sat beside Housen, talking to him as everyone stood by the broken window(?) and Kamui who stood on the end of the roof.
As I watched Housen's body turn into ash, I sighed of relief because our mission was accomplished but didn't seem like any of the Haruseme had done it.
I jumped beside Kamui and said, "Abuto's beaten up."
"Then we have to do something about that, huh?" was his answer and I just nodded.
"Kamui!" a familiar voice yelled from behind.
I turned around to see Kagura, glaring daggers at her brother.
No one didn't seem to recognize me except for Gin-san who stared at me with wide eyes like he knows me... Or does he?
"Aaaa... Kagura..." I heard Kamui mumble.
Kagura made a run at Kamui by raising her umbrella but I stood in front of him and jumped on her, easily, and pushed her against the ground. I put a foot on her umbrella to push it against the ground, katana pointed to her temple, and another foot on her abdomen. She struggled under me, but I hadn't put much weight into my legs on her... Oh well.
"Kagura! Stop trying to fight her off!" Gin-san yelled at Kagura. He tried to walk over here but he seemed to be in too much pain to even walk.
"Kamui, can I get a promission from you to kill her?" I asked.
"Do whate're you like, my friend," he answered with a smile and I looked back at Kagura with a smile.
"Nanako-nee-chan! No!" Seita yelled.
"Nana...ko?" Tsukuyo, Kagura, and the boy with glasses repeated.
I shrugged. "I guess they found out about me now."
Kagura began to strungle underneath me, even more but couldn't dare to push my leg off of her. I smiled. Weakling.
I raised my katana to stab her forearm when Gin-san yelled, "Shine Komusume! Stop!"
I immediately stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. "What the hell?"
"You're... aren't you?" Gin-san asked.
"You know him?" Kamui asked me from behind.
I shook my head. "No."
"Yes you do!" Gin-san yelled. "Don't you remember? A silver haired, natural haired perm in your brother's classroom that never brought lunch to school? So you made those disgusting lunch for the boy?"
My eyes widened even more. "Kin...to..ki?"
"Gintoki, not Kintoki! You remember, don't you?"
I stood there, frozen.
"The boy who was your brother's friend! On with Zura! The boy who always made fun of you and your brother's stupid purple hair! The boy who was in love with pudding, and still is! The boy-"
"Shut up!" I yelled and stab Kagura's arm. She let out a cry of agony as I pulled it out. I got off of her and smiled at Kintoki. "My brother would love to know you are alive when I tell him. Tell Zura that I said hi." I turned to Kamui. "Let's go."
"I'm supposed to be saying that," siad Kamui.
"Stuff it."