Author's Notes: If you have read OkiKagu Month 2016 – Chapter 8: Nightmare & AU-Day, all your answers will be answered in this longer revised chapter. Also, there is a major character death warning starting from this chapter and future chapters. There will be spoilers from the Battle on Rakuyou arc (if you are watching the anime). Other than that, enjoy the madness.
Extra Lesson 2: Dating a Twin is Hard When You Can't Tell the Two of Them Apart
"O-Okay, this is getting weird." Okita commented, staring at the trio walking past the previous Shinsengumi leaders.
"No way in a million years would they ever take on our jobs or want anything to do with the government." Hijikata added. "Heh, the irony for all those years calling us 'Tax Revenue Robbers', they have become the one thing they despised."
The tobacco addict had a realization.
"Maybe we're dead, and we're in hell." His eyes became bloodshot and started to laugh hysterically.
"Have you gone mad, Hijikata-san? Do you need me to put you out of your misery right now?" Okita using this as perfect opportunity to end him, he slowly unsheathed sword.
Kondo pushed back the younger man's hand, forcing him to place the blade back into its scabbard.
"Let's not get too hasty here. For all we know, we were transported to a planet called Bizzaro World and just need to travel back to Earth." For once Kondo was level headed.
"Excuse me, what is this place we're at now?" The older man asked a passerby.
"Kabuki District in Edo."
Kondo began to sweat.
"And what planet?"
"Earth." The man gave him a puzzling look before he continued, "What a weirdo." He mumbled under his breath.
His entire face was like a waterfall. "N-No big deal."
He started to bash his head onto nearby pillar.
Okita watched him a good minute before making a sound, "Look, we're stuck in this situation. We should go along with it until it's over."
The blonde was right, there was no reason to be illogical when they didn't clearly understand what happened to them or what the world has done to them.
Returning to the Odd Jobs, they looked over work logs again and thought of plans to get back home. Just like a regular mission.
"We need to find more information about them— by spying on them." Kondo said.
"Kondo-san, I need some tips on how to spy on a girl that looks like my girlfriend." Okita asked lazily.
The older man placed his arm over the younger man's shoulder giving him precise tips. Okita nodded as he wrote notes.
Hijikta rubbed his temples with a cigarette hanging out from his mouth. "Good grief."
"…And that's how you stalk, er, I mean observe from afar. Anyway, go spy on China-san. I'll find more information on Shinpachi." Kondo said confidently pointing his thumb to himself. "Toshi, investigate the Odd—I mean the curly haired one."
"Why do I get stuck with him?" Hijikata protested. "Ugh, whatever." He walked away, looking to preparing his supplies for the stakeout.
"We'll meet up here again in 24 hours." Kondo said, as the other two nodded their heads in agreement.
Things would have been so much easier if Yamazaki was the one on assignment to spy on the Odd Jobs trio posing as the Shinsengumi. But, Sougo Okita did what he was told by Kondo and followed the girl that looked like his girlfriend in the last few hours watching her every move.
He felt ridiculous. It was weird, but in a way, his creepy sadist side started to show more interest in this Kagura. If Kagura had a twin, is this what her other half would be like? As they say, twins are usually are opposites from each other.
She wasn't quite the same person. The way she moved was completely different from the Kagura he knew. This person had a cold presence but had grace and beauty that can kill. He watched her during morning practice, conducting squads, and sparring with different members. She defeated them with ease without breaking a sweat.
The Kagura he knew was much more innocent and had spunk, just a few the attributes he liked about her. As he would be the one to corrupt that soul of hers. She would have personality and showed expression. This one… kept a straight serious expression in almost every working moment, as if she was a blinking shell.
She had the same face, same vermillion hair, the same parasol, and hair ornament. Her physique was a little more muscular though.
Okita would sit on a tree branch, just watching her in almost a non-conspicuous outfit, wearing his normal ivory kimono, a green hakama and a straw hat.
Her speech was firm, yet feminine. How she was able to join the Shinsengumi was still remnant in his mind. As females were not allowed to join the exclusive group. However, if this girl was a Yato, more of a reason why the government would want her as a weapon.
The girl had initiative too. She carried out her duties, arresting four Joui rebels with an impressive 1-hour search period. If Hijikata knew, he would trade him over her in a heartbeat.
They had their daily meetings, and she saw how fiercely loyal she was to her superiors, something he was able relate to.
After a few hours of patrol, she took her break buying a few boxes of pickled seaweed and headed over to a dango shop nearby. The purple parasol provided shade over her head as she walked. Every step she took the tassel rang from her hair ornament. The other noticeable accessory she had in this world was the sword on her hip. Everything about her sword screamed Kagura.
The hilt was of red with a carved out golden round guard. Her scabbard in a bright red lacquer, engraved into it were rabbits and branches of weeping cherry blossoms. Everything about her sword was drenched in red.
She placed her sword next to her and sat down eating her order of Mitarashi dango. Chewing half of the dumplings from the skewer. She shifted her eyes to the left.
"You're not very good at following people are you?" She said after swallowing.
Okita forgot he was on watch, yawning. For hours not interacting with anyone, he didn't notice she was talking to him, hiding behind a tree next to the shop.
"I know you've been monitoring me since this morning, pervert." She continued. Okita ignored her, yet again forgetting he was not exactly invisible.
He felt something coming towards him. A wooden skewer flew at high speed, puncturing the tree like an arrow, missing his throat by a few centimeters. She threw it so hard that the skewer poked through the shop's wall into the tree.
She had his attention.
"You've caught me, congratulations." Okita threw his voice, still concealing himself.
She was on her last bite. She completed her food before speaking, "You want to be arrested today for obstructing an officer?"
That sounded like a challenge to him, his lips curled into a devious smile.
"Heh, I wouldn't want that, I just wanted to dance with you that's all." He replied. Okita wanted badly to roughhouse with her, just to see how this girl with fair with his girl. Maybe, perhaps he just really missed his girlfriend back home.
"You have a twisted way of courting girls, sir." She sipped her tea.
He chuckled at her polite speech and no accent. She definitely wasn't the same girl.
"Let me tell you now, I'm not interested." She finished her tea, putting more than a good share for the meal and damage for the wall.
"Not even one quick duel?" He continued.
"It's in my Code that I do not engage in private fights. Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll have to look elsewhere." She said indifferently, leaving to go back to work.
The samurai followed her from a distance for a few blocks.
"You are starting to really irritate me!" She shouted.
"I'm not leaving until you dance with me."
He attacked her, thrusting his sword behind her ear.
She dodged the attack, grabbing his arm, flipping his entire body forward. He twisted his torso to toss her off balance, kicking her to the ground dropping her parasol.
The townspeople gasped.
"That was weak." Okita commented. "I expected more."
This girl really wasn't like her.
"I'm not here to play games with you!" She dusted herself off and closed her parasol.
"Let's make a deal, if you can catch me, you can arrest me." He taunted. "If I win, you'll answer my questions."
"I don't deal with trash like you." She snarled at him.
"You have no choice." With one strike, he cut a fruit stand display in half with his sword. "Swords and Firearms Law." He smirked.
She glared at him, gritting her teeth. "You…"
He knew his childish ways would trigger her. Tag was the least favorite game of hers.
He pointed his sword at her.
"Sougo Okita." He threw his hat on the ground, introducing himself to this girl.
He ran.
"Dammit!" She chased after him. "Stop! This an order of the Shinsengumi!" She jumped through hurdles catching up to him to a nearby park.
Okita jumped up in the air, disappearing from her sight.
She stopped for a moment to analyze her surroundings, in a quick second, she saw her a shadow above her.
The officer turned around to shoot him with her parasol. He cut the bullet in half. She blocked his incoming attack with her sword. The sharp steel sparked on impact.
"You finally unsheathed it." His smile grew in excitement. "I've been waiting for long time for this, Kagura."
She looked bewildered.
The girl leapt back; firing few rounds with her parasol with her other hand. He easily dodged the bullets, running at incredible speed, side to side.
He knocked the parasol from her hand. She backflipped away from him. She looked at her weapon thrown out of her reach.
"C'mon Kagura, this is the best you can do?" Okita gripped his sword at her, getting cocky.
"That's Captain Kagura Sakata, fool!" She charged with her blade, blinding him at the side cutting open the sleeve of his haori.
"Sakata? It can't be." He thought, with other questions flooding his mind now, killing his thirst fighting her.
She charged at him again, the man put little effort just enough to avoid her offenses.
Okita was getting tired of a passionless fight getting irritated.
She was not her.
He kicked her down, and she fell on her back hard. He straddled her, pinning an arm down with his sword at her throat. The blonde gazed her, he leaned in closer, lingering, studying her face. She smelled of a floral and agarwood, a sickly sweet smell that didn't fit her at all.
She gulped.
She was uneasy, even though her own sword was against his throat. She tried to escape, bucking under him.
He moved his face closer towards her ear, feeling the blade pressed against his Adam's apple.
"I win." He whispered.
That evil grin on his face… just who was this stranger?
Okita unpinned her and stood up.
He extended his hand to her.
This Kagura smacked his hand away. She sat up touching her throat, looking at the samurai in contempt.
"What do you want from me?" She reluctantly asked, holding the end of her bargain.
The samurai sheathed his sword and returned it to his side.
"Gintoki Sakata, what is he to you?"
"My father?"
"Father? The silver haired natural perm, is your father?"
"Yes. He adopted me when I was a child…He raised me like his own, and taught me the way of the sword." Kagura hated answering personal questions.
"Who are your commanding officers at the Shinsengumi?"
She fumed, "Gintoki Sakata and Shinpachi Shimura."
"Hey look at that, who knew they would rise so high in ranks." He commented.
"Are you done yet?" She snapped.
"What are you in charge of, Captain?" Okita said mockingly.
"First Division Squad." She said, rising to her feet.
"You've got long way to go catching up to me, girlie."
"I don't know who you are, but I hate wasting my time on pathetic samurai, do not bother me again." She began to walk away, holding her side, writhing in pain.
Okita watched her struggle.
Kagura wasn't Kagura.
This Kagura wasn't worth the torture. The girl he knew would put up the fight. This atmosphere was unnatural. It was that moment that he realized what he considered "home". He sighed. He hoped Kondo and Hijikata found better answers. At least he had his fun and has resource for help when the time came.
As he walked back, he noticed a distortion in the sky. He stopped for a moment trying to figure out what it was but no sign of it appeared again.
Kagura kneeled on the mat, sliding the paper door to the side.
"It's done." She reported.
The man from the room walked up to embrace her.
She dissolved into his arms, breathing him in. She closed her eyes, exhaling.
"I hate losing."
He patted her head.
"Gin-chan…" She snuggled him, completely letting her stoic personality down.
"You did an easy task of bugging him. Winning a fight was not the objective here." Gintoki clarified to her. She pouted.
Kagura planted a small mole shaped listening device on the samurai's sword when he attacked her from behind. The group deemed those people suspicious from quick glances from their walk the other day.
"But I could have taken care of him easily." She puffed, squeezing him tighter. Kagura easily turned into a child again, in Gintoki's arms, as he always give the best hugs anyone could ask for.
Gintoki reached over her head handing over a dossier from his short table, giving it to her read. She opened the folder. The first piece of information was a mugshot of a male in his early 20's, long blonde hair in a high ponytail with a smug look.
She read, "Sougo Okita, died at age twenty-three from a lung disease. Known as Manslayer Okita, he is accountable for hundreds of murders and a handful of felonies." The captain looked at the commander, "We have a dead man who is bored and decided to walk the streets again, how convenient." She closed the folder.
"Go investigate this man more. I need my rest. Tell Shinpachi to see me in an hour." Gintoki instructed.
Kagura saluted.
She held her position.
The silver-haired man waited for her leave, until he realized he had forgotten to give her prize for going along with the entire operation. He fished out a box of pickled seaweed from his jacket and handed it to her.
Her eyes sparkled, taking the box in glee. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.
Gin couldn't help to smile, shutting the door behind him.
"No matter what age, daughters can't help to love their fathers the most, don't they, Gintoki." A soft-spoken man said, putting a steaming cup of tea down on the table next to near empty dishes.
Gin sat down across the table, giving an exasperated sigh, "Whatever, Zura."
"It's not Zura, it's Katsura." The long black haired man said matter-of-factly.
"I keep forgetting I'm the general here in this situation." Gin sighed, "This is such a pain in the ass, who died and made me…oh right." He slipped his words, changing the subject, "I told you not to be so careless and visiting me out in the public."
"A former classmate cannot visit his old friend?"
"Who said I was your friend? Who said you can eat my food, huh?" Gin slammed his palms onto the table, pointing to the dishes, "You are clearly making yourself at home eating my lunch, freeloader!" Katsura picked up the last of rice that remained in a bowl, chewing.
He swallowed, "It's not freeloader, it's Katsura."
Gin almost was close to flipping the entire table, but composed himself, pacing around the room.
"Preparations are coming to a close. You and him can stop interfering with my work." He unwrapped a lollipop from his coat pocket. "Plus, you're ruining my diet." Though he didn't mind much to eat his dessert first.
Katsura smirked. He got up from his seat, "Thank you for the meal."
"Hey Four-eyes, Gin-chan wants to see you in an hour." Kagura sucked on the pickled seaweed. She leaned against the frame of the door, watching the man meditate.
Shinpachi kept his eyes closed, giving one more round of breathing exercises.
Kagura was getting bored. She headed back inside the building, before she stopped behind the door. "By the way, there is a gorilla around your mist."
The man exhaled, "I know."
Kondo observed Shinpachi with binoculars on top of a tree outside of Shinsengumi headquarters.
Author's Notes: Bizzaro World is a DC Comic reference where people of Earth are opposites of themselves.
Mitarashi dango is covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze.
I felt bored writing this chapter, as I wrote it before, although it does give you better insight of what happened to the initial short story I wrote.
I just want to write the good parts of this story already. I also need to stop writing so late at night.
_(┐「ε:)_
