Of Addiction and Neglect
Chapter 5
Kagura was so, so screwed.
Great. My QSP is nowhere to be found.
It has been a week since her QSP had mysteriously disappeared to god-knows-where. Despite the fact that she had been very much thorough with her search, it was all in vain. No amount of searching was enough for her to be able to retrieve the device, and as much as she wanted to tell Gin-chan about this problem of hers, Kagura didn't have the heart to tell him that the QSP he bought her was nowhere to be found.
He might even ask me to pay him back!
Slightly depressed at the fact that she had no more chance at finishing the Space Pirates game that she had been holding off because of a sadistic character, she let out a deep sigh, wondering if Gin-chan would force her to live on the streets because she had been careless. Scared at the thought, she began making plans to contact anego to crash into her place in case Gin-chan did kick her out.
"ARGH! This is so frustrating!" at this, she kicked a nearby tree trunk and immediately, it fell to the ground with a thump, the trunk breaking in half from the force of her kick. "Where is my QSP?!" she hissed to herself, desperately wanting to report this lost item case to the tax robbers [1] just so she could be assured. What held her back often was the fact that the sadist would handle her case, and he wouldn't take her seriously.
Not to mention that at the back of her mind, she had this inkling that he would actually have the nerve to destroy it in front of her after finding it for her… and she didn't want that.
Her QSP was important to her because it was Gin-chan who gave it to her, and it had been so long since someone gave her a present. Sure, he provided her a home, food and clothing, but it had been the first time he listened to her whims and got her what she wanted.
Now that she thought about it, Gin-chan was an awesome dad. But that also meant he was a scary father figure, one whom she shouldn't piss off.
She sighed, nearly reduced to tears, hating the now-emerging feminine side of hers that was making her emotional over just about anything. "Damn it, damn it, damn it…!"
"Oh, China-san, hi. Haven't seen you around." As she turned around to see who it was, the commander of the Shinsengumi was standing a few feet behind her, a huge smile on his face.
"Ah, Gori-san." She had been past the whole 'Gorilla' thing (unless he was annoying the hell out of her) and referred to him as 'Gori-san' just to be a bit more respectful to the guy whom anego started dating just a few months ago. She had finally agreed to date him, provided that he didn't stalker her anymore, or do scary and weird things to her. This, however, was a secret known only among the couple and Kagura. He proved true to his word, much to their surprise. "Hi." She mumbled.
"You okay? You seem so down." He walked over to where she was and concern was written all over his face.
She shook her head. "Hey, Gori, you know anyone who wants to date me?" if she couldn't have her QSP back, then she might as well date Earthlings behind Gin-chan's back. "You know, for… practice."
Kondo Isao blinked. "Uhhh, d-did you get clearance from the Yorozuya danna?" when she shook her head no, he scratched the back of his head. "W-well, there may be some prospects around but—"
"But?" she echoed.
"W-well, I dunno…"
"Oh, come on, Gorilla! Help me out! Someone stole me QSP, I don't have a virtual guy to date, and the next best thing is to date the real thing!" she whined.
He didn't have the heart to tell her that Sougo had been the one who took her QSP and was taking his sweet time to give it back. "Obviously, I can't date you."
She rolled her eyes. "As if I wanna date you." Kagura shot back. "Besides, I don't want to incur the wrath of anego."
He grinned widely at the thought of a jealous Otae. "Well, I think I can help out… and no, it doesn't involve dating. More like a… crash course on what to expect?"
"I can live with that." Kagura nodded. "Show me the ropes."
"Sure!"
Okita Sougo's eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets when he saw China walking around downtown Edo with Kondo-san, albeit way too close than what was appropriate. The pair, it seemed, were going around the shops and, thankfully, not hand in hand. They were physically close, and for some reason, it irritated him so much. He did respect Kondo-san, but him going after China…
Well, that was another thing altogether.
For now, he would observe them from afar.
"Ah, Gori, you sure this is how it's done? The QSP games I've been playing made the dates so interesting." She said in a bored tone.
'What the hell… they're dating?!'
The commander of the Shinsengumi scratched the back of his head. "Well, this is how it's usually done—"
"I'm bored." She popped a candy in her mouth, which surprised him greatly because it wasn't her usual sukonbu. "Let's do something interesting and awesome."
Kondo Isao suddenly bent down to whisper something to her ear, and to Sougo's surprise, China had turned redder than the dress she wore. Immediately, she slapped the commander on the arm. "Idiot gorilla, what the hell are you saying?!"
"It's the truth—"
"No it's not!" she gave him a swift kick on the shin. "Knew I shouldn't have wasted my time on you."
'Obviously, China.' He snorted inwardly as he watched her walk away from the Shinsengumi commander, who was now howling in pain from the kick. 'It's Kondo-san. Why would he go out with you anyway?'
It was known that Kondo Isao only had eyes for Shimura Otae, but what possessed him to date the female Yato anyway? Nearly everyone on the police force was wary of her because of her strength, the commander included, and that was one reason why he addressed her with respect, despite her being younger than him.
He watched her walked a few meters before stopping in front of another male. "Ah, jimi 'zaki. Go on a date with me." He heard her say to the newly-arrived Shinsengumi spy.
"W-w-w-w-what!" came the startled cry.
"Come on, come on, I don't have all day." She said, easily pulling Yamazaki Sagaru by the wrist.
"B-b-b-but I'm busy!" if his senses were correct, Captain Okita was somewhere around the vicinity, and if he was seen with China… well, it wouldn't be pretty. Little did he know that his intuition was spot-on right now, and that the sadistic captain was already planning his demise, down to the funeral.
"Busy doing what?" she asked curiously.
"L-looking for Okita-san, of course!" he seriously didn't want to be seen with her, and so, Yamazaki used just about anything to get away from her. "And I'm late!"
China shrugged and released her hold on Yamazaki. "Oh well. Have fun." She popped yet another candy in her mouth, and before she could take another step, she turned around. "Ah, wait."
"Y-y-yes?" Yamazaki tried his best not to tremble in fear.
Sougo struggled to hear the next part, but unfortunately for him, Kagura had decided to whisper her request to Yamazaki, who then kept nodding. "I'll keep you updated then, China-san. I'll just drop by the Yorozuya if something comes up."
She nodded at him. "Go look for me, not Shinpachi or Gin-chan, okay?" at his nod, she then pointed at something behind his back. "Oh yeah, Gorilla is still moaning in pain over there… better help him. I gotta go." And with that, the female member of the Yorozuya ran off, her trademark purple umbrella resting on her right shoulder as she blocked the rays of the morning sun.
As Yamazaki walked over to where the commander was, Sougo decided to make his appearance. " 'zaki, you're late." He intoned.
"Ah, Okita-san. Sorry, there was a citizen who had asked for my help regarding a lost item." It was half the truth anyway; besides, who in his right mind would give himself away?
"Regarding what?"
"The citizen had lost a gaming console last week at the restaurant near here and—" as soon as he mentioned the word 'gaming console', the sadist suddenly sported an evil smirk on his face. "U-ummm… are you alright, Okita-san…?"
"Tell China that I have her QSP. And if she wants it back, she and I can discuss it over tea at my place tomorrow."
Before Yamazaki could ask how he had known such information, Okita Sougo had already walked off towards the direction of his apartment, not in the mood to patrol anymore. Only a few knew of this apartment of his, mainly the commander, the vice-commander and Yamazaki, just in case he wasn't in the compound when the need arises. He only went to his pad when he didn't want to be disturbed, and he needed to think of what to do when China arrives at his place tomorrow.
No doubt she would demand the QSP back, but he had other plans.
Tomorrow was going to be his perfect day.
[1] desperately wanting to report this lost item case to the tax robbers - I am not sure if the Shinsengumi functioned as a normal police wherein they also help citizens find their lost items, but for the sake of this fic, I decided that they would have this function as well.
Sorry for the lack of update for this fic. I've been extremely busy. September is drawing near, and I'm preparing for a certain event.
Anyone in my country who wants to have a meet-up...? That is, if only you guys want one... XD;;
Thanks for reading! Please do review!