Chapter 5: It is Troublesome Having a Bald Dad!
So here is the fifth chapter, hope you enjoy reading it. I'm adding the replies to the reviews here because I really don't have enough time to thank these awesome people personally.
Akely: Thank you for your review! I apologize about the awkwardness of the dialogues; English isn't my first language and I often tend to get a little too flowery. I'll definitely try to improve and thanks again for correcting and encouraging me. Hope this chapter meets your expectations!
Torarara: Thanks for your reviews! I'm so glad that you love this story. I'm not too sure yet if Gin and Shinpachi will figure much in this story, I'm sorry if I might have disappointed you. And it really surprised me to know that you liked the combination of coffee and mayonnaise! Though it fits Hijikata, lol.
nathan19bane: Your review literally left me floating in the clouds! I still can't believe that I'd be an inspiration to anyone… Thank you for reading and reviewing and all the support. I hope you like this chapter too.
Now, onto the story!
A cloaked figure walked down the desolate streets of Rakuyou, holding an umbrella to shield himself from the rain. He soon reached the royal cemetery where a marble tombstone glimmered faintly, having been built quite recently. The man's cheeks were wet as he laid a bouquet of flowers on the grave. His last respects paid, he turned and headed straight towards the royal palace, his home.
Tae had been expecting a lot of people when she opened the vast doors of the palace, but she had definitely never considered the man standing in front of her.
"Umibozu sama?!"
It was truly the king of Rakuyou, completely bald as always, dressed in the attire of a hunter. He nodded at the retainer, before asking in a tone that betrayed his urgency, "Where is my daughter?"
"Kagura chan… She's in the throne room, but-'Tae had barely finished when Umibozu strode past her, moving briskly towards the said room. Tae suddenly started when she remembered that Umibozu probably knew nothing about his daughter's recent marriage. Wincing in anticipation of the disaster that was in the making, she hurried away to inform Tsukuyo and Sarutobi.
Kagura looked up at the fall of footsteps, wondering who had come. Adjusting her crown, she hoped that whoever it was would not notice that she had just been gorging on sukonbu a few moments earlier. But all such anxieties vanished the moment she saw her bald dad. And naturally, her first reaction was to stare at him in amazement and disbelief.
"Kagura chan! How are you, my dear?"
All of a sudden, a huge wave of resentment burst within her. The man standing before her hadn't even come for his only daughter's wedding and had left her to deal with her Mami's death alone. And all he had to say after so many days was 'How are you'. What does he bother about how I am? Does he even have any idea of how I've been all this while, yes? How I've had to take his responsibility even if I wasn't ready for it? Does he think that everything will be alright if he just shows up out of the blue occasionally like this?
"Kagura, why are you wearing the queen's crown? Don't tell me-"
"I don't have anything to say to you, uh huh! You have no right to question me after everything that's happened!" Her eyes pricking, Kagura stormed out of the room, past Tsukuyo and Tae who were standing at the door. Her father stared after her in shock, before turning on her retainers.
"Has my daughter gotten married while I've been gone?"
Tsukuyo blew out a puff of smoke as she glared back at Umibozu, who was now radiating an extremely dark aura. "Yer asking tha' now? Ya left the moment tha funeral was over, an' it never bothered ya as ta what yer daughter had to go through then. So there ain't any use in getting into a rage now. Kagura is married, an' that ain't gonna be changing. So just accept it already, King."
"And who is the bastard? I'm so going to decapitate him…"
"King Umibozu, do you want the few remaining hairs on your head to die too? Besides, it is wrong to harass a married couple. "
"And how exactly did they become so?"
"Because ya weren't there, Rakuyou was in a mess and someone had ta rule it. An' Kagura was the only one who could do it, but she had ta get married fer that. She…. Agreed ta marry tha first prince who was ready. And now, she's married ta the prince of Edo."
"So why is my daughter here, if she is really married? No matter how much you all try to conceal it, I can tell that she is not happy! And there's no way she'll be happy with a marriage like that!"
"King, I request you, please, give it a chance. They will begin to like each other over time. In fact, I'm already quite sure that Kagura chan likes him too…"
"Oh? Then that's more reason for me to break up this so called marriage. If I have to see my daughter married, it will only be to a guy whom I approve of!"
Tae looked helplessly at Tsukuyo as Umibozu left to search for his daughter. The blond haired woman simply said, "Tae, if that baldy tries to separate Kagura from her 'sadist', I'm gonna knock him out."
"You'll have our complete support, Tsukuyo. Even though Kagura chan says that Sadist kun married her only for the namesake, for her to tell us so much about him, he must be someone really special to her."
"And that's exactly why we can't have them separated yet."
The next morning, the royal palace of Rakuyou witnessed a quarrel violent enough to bring the walls crashing down. Kagura had flown into an absolute fury when her father ordered her to break off her marriage and search for a better partner with him. Umibozu, on the other hand, was aggravated by his daughter's outright refusal. After all, he was only doing what was good for her, even if she couldn't realize it. So they were both fighting, with both words and weapons, trying to make each other agree to their own view.
"Kagura chan, you are too young to realize the devastating consequences this fake marriage will have on your future! Papi is only trying to save you!"
"Like hell I need you to save me, Baldy! Where were you when you were really needed, yes? And this isn't a fake marriage!"
"Kagura, you're blinded by your feelings for that bastard! He doesn't care about you at all. You do know that, deep down! That is why it is best for you to leave him and find a new life!"
"Who the hell said I have feelings for that jerk?! I hate the guy! But I don't want the solution you are trying to give me, because it can only make things worse, uh huh. Mami told me that marriages happen for a lifetime, even if your husband is a clueless idiot!"
"Kagura chan, you really cannot understand me. But I know that you'll regret it in the future and Papi won't be there for you then! So, even if I have to use force, I'll do it to save you!"
"I'm no longer a crybaby weakling like before, so I'll fight you if I have to, uh huh. What makes you think that everything will be alright if you mess with others' homes, yes?"
"Home? Kagura, we have no place we can truly feel at home at, except the battlefield. You think now that Edo or wherever is your home, but they all will have forgotten you in the few days you haven't been there. Maybe I will not force you to marry someone else just now, but I will break off that pretend, forced marriage you seem to want to protect so much!"
Kagura gripped her umbrella harder, about to tear out what remaining hair follicles her bald idiot of a dad still possessed, when an extremely familiar voice stunned her into a statue.
"My, my, just which pretend marriage were we going to 'break off' over here?"
Standing in the doorway, a huge bazooka slung over his shoulder, was none other than Okita Sougo. He was emitting a particularly sadistic aura which sent an involuntary shiver through everyone in the huge room. Tae's smile suddenly got a hundred times sweeter, Sachan's eyes shone and Tsukuyo let a relaxed puff of smoke, smiling a little. Kagura stared at her husband in utter astonishment, not able to think of a single reason as to why the Sadist was here.
"Oi, China monster, you are really a tsundere aren't you? I never knew that you liked me so much that you wouldn't marry anyone else… I'll definitely be making you my play toy soon, little piggy."
Yep, that had to be it. The jerk had only come over to insult her and force her to lose her temper. There couldn't be any other reason, and to her, this seemed like the neatest explanation. But for some reason, she wasn't bothered about it, the fact that he had turned up was enough to make her weirdly happy and warm inside. However, there was no way she was going to let his insult go, just like that, without crushing his deadpan face.
"Just who are you calling a pig, you double damned sadist?! I'll send you to hell for that insult!"
"Then I'm not going to go to hell anytime soon, because there's no way I'll listen to anything you say. You seem to have become quite a few times uglier in a few days, China. Upset to hear a few hard truths, aren't you?"
"You are in no position to talk, with that stupid, deadpan face of yours! You're the ugliest of all, both inside and out, yes!"
"You just broke my heart, China. I really wonder which fool was blind enough to hit on you…"
"What the hell are you talking about? Though forget it, because I'm going to make you blind now!"
Watching the two of them fight, Hijikata took a deep draw of his cigarette before glancing over at Umibozu, who was staring at the brawl with rapidly increasing disbelief.
"Is this what you maids call 'love', Otae?!"
"It doesn't seem so, but nevertheless, that's what those two devils call 'love'. Fighting is just their way of expressing their feelings. You could even say that they are flirting with each other, for goodness' sake."
Umibozu glared at Hijikata who had offered those words, growling, " And you ask me to believe Kagura is happy with this? That this is what you all term a marriage?"
"Oh for heaven's sake, just look at their eyes. I haven't seen Sougo this fired up for ages, not even while trying to kill me. Your daughter also looks like she's having fun. So, baldy, why don't you give it a chance?"
"Who are you calling 'Baldy', nicotine addict?!"
Meanwhile, moving back to the ongoing brawl….
"Stop dodging like a monkey and stand still, Sadist! I want to get a clear shot at you!"
"Which planet did you leave your brains in, China? Even a pig isn't so dumb. Heck, even a dog is smarter than you."
"JUST SHUT UP! Now, tell me why the hell you even bothered to come here, yes? Hurry up or I'll break your hand."
"I'll slice you up before that. And if you're so eager to know, it was only because your dog threw a tantrum and refused to behave as he missed you."
"Sadaharu? He missed me? Then… at least someone remembered me!"
"What the hell are you celebrating about? In the first place, no one even forgot you, China brat. Seriously, what kind of environment were you brought up in?"
"No one forgot about me? That means, you too? Don't tell me, you actually missed me, you tsundere sadist! "
"In your wildest dreams, China. As if anyone would. It was a relief to be rid of your insanity for a few days." I really missed you, insanity and all. But I swear I'll only admit it the day hell freezes over.
"Well, I was also really happy not hearing your insults and having to see your unbearable face every single damned moment, uh huh. I wish you'd just get lost, jerk." I wanted to see your face every single second, uh huh. But you'll hear me say it only when Papi's hair follicles grow back.
Too tired to fight any more, they both sat down on the ground, only to be knocked over by Sadaharu, who was delighted to see his mistress again. Watching the scene, Umibozu grudgingly decided that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't break off the relationship yet. Though he would kill the sandy haired prince if he ever saw his daughter cry.
A/N: So there ends the fifth chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading it! Thanks a lot for reading this story! Please do take the time to leave a review, your support never fails to keep me going! Feel free to send me suggestions, requests, anything you wish, I love to know what you think about it. Constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement are also greatly appreciated!