Well...its been a while everyone. This story is surely my neglected baby, I havent updates in literally forever, sorry about that guys. Nevertheless I have not abandoned ship just yet, the story lives on! Enough of my rambling, enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
Soyo leisurely strolled through the open courtyard of the university. Her next class began in ten minutes, ample enough time to enjoy the lovely sight of the newly green leaves. With the favorable weather and finals looming in a not far off future, many students were either lounging on the grass or relaxing on the benches. This was the last glimpse at sunlight until finals, and the imminent nightmarish twelve hour all nighters, were over. College, she thought with an understanding smile. To understand the pains a college student lived through, you had to be one. Soyo saw a blockcade in her path a bit ahead; a swarm of female students crowded around one of the many campus benches. The raven haired female's smile widened, they seemed to attract an audience wherever they went. Soyo caught a glimpse of familiar vermillion hair and an equally familiar bishonen, the two casually leaning upon each other and both with their eyes closed. Glancing at her slim silver watch it read 1:30, it was prime naptime after all. Soyo continued walking, leaving the couple to the prying eyes of the public. There had been hints months ago, subtle yet distinct changes in the manner that Kagura acted around Okita. Those who were more distant with Kagura would not have noticed the subtleness of the gestures, but then again what kind of best friend would she be if she didn't notice. Kagura still shouted profanities at Okita whenever the opportunity arose, and he still teased her relentlessly. It was an endless cat and mouse chase. But Soyo knew there laid a deep meaning, a secret, in their relationship. Patience was a virtue that she possessed, when Kagura was prepared to share her secret, then she would gladly listened. That was in March. Her growing speculations were answered when the beloved idol of the school broke the hearts of his legions of fans by walking hand in hand with none other than the reigning martial art champion, Yato Kagura. That alone was enough to prove the status of their relationship. Soyo wasn't in the least bit surpised, having befriended Kagura for over a decade, she was all too familiar with the inner workings of the girl's heart. Although she appears as rough and strong, the girl possessed a delicate heart, one she would not easily give away. And Kagura loathed public displays of affection as much as Gintoki-sensei loathed attending his office hours thrice weekly. Kagura was serious about this relationship. If her friend was happy then so was she, but happiness is a short lived bliss. Soyo omitted this part when she asked Kagura how she developed feelings for Okita. Kagura answered vaguely. She said that there wasn't much of a "how", they realized their lives were more similar than they assumed and the ball rolled from there. Kagura left out key details but Soyo was piecing together parts of the puzzle herself, she could make out the overarching frame but the picture itself was still unknown. Regardless, Yato Kagura and Okita Sougo officially announced their relationship, it remains the main gossip of the university even till now. Soyo did not spare them another glance as she walked passed, they did not need another pair of prying eyes, their time together was limited. Happiness is a fleeting thing.
Kagura had anticipated this but she was shocked nonetheless. The heart she reassembled mere months ago was shattered into a million pieces again. He was leaving her.
The horrors of finals week passed liked a tumultuous storm but they both managed to survive the academic torture. The fall semester would start in four months, that meant four months that she and Okita could spend together. At first, Kagura would frequently visit Okita's apartment, disguised as a outing to Soyo's house since her protective brother and father would castrate the fool who laid eyes on the baby of the family. Luck be it though, both her father and brother stayed home less and less. Kamui's position in the police department had him clocking in more hours than Kagura would care to allow, that would bring tears to the sis-com's eyes if he knew that his baby sister missed him, and even the baldy seemed busier than ever. Kagura was not the sharpest knife in the drawer but she watched the news regardless, even diligently. She knew of the increasing threats of terrorism caused by the Amanto and the greater threat of an impending war, the situation was imminent. Perhaps another year or another few months and then war would be upon Edo but she never expected it this soon.
Okita had come to visit her that day, a surprise considering their rendezvous were often at his house. Kagura gladly invited him inside, her mood brightening with his mere presence, Okita did not seem to share the same sentiments for his face was cold, an unreadable iron mask. In Okita's hand was a pristine white envelope with the crest of the emperor, a formality nowadays than anything, but the crest was only ever used for official business pertaining to the military. Her stomach churned as Okita immaculately read her the letter. Her already pale skin turned an unhealthy shade lighter and she was on the verge of bursting into tears. Conscription. That was the letter's order. All able body men above eighteen must participate in a mandatory conscription in lieu of the officially impending war against the Amanto. Kagura searched his face for signs of fear, of anxiousness or even anger but he reverted back to his expressionless mask once again.
Kagura slipped her hand into his, they were warm, that calmed her slightly. " Sadist, please don't go." She pleaded. Kagura knew it was useless begging him to stay, the choice was never his in the first place, but voicing it out loud bought her false solace. " We'll find a way to avoid the conscription so please don't go. We've only just found each other again, you can't leave this early! Please!"
Okita silently pulled her into a tight bear hug. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, " They'll need a poster boy to get them through the war, who else could it be but me?" He wanted to stay as much as she did. He wanted to be by Kagura's side every moment he could, to hear her uncharacteristically girly giggles when he tickled her, to see the tiniest dimples form when she smiles, to revel in all that was the woman he loved. Okita desperately wanted to stay.
Kagura pushed him away with a frown, " This isn't a joke, it's very serious!"
He looked at her with those piercing red eyes, " Nothing in our lives is a joke it seems, I wish it was." He hugged her again, engraving the lingering scent of strawberries into his memory, Kagura willingly complied, " But I have to go. It's my obligation, it's the obligation of everyone who calls this place home." Kagura remained silent as she nuzzled her face into the nook of his neck. He smelled lightly of wood and grass, most likely from all the time he recently spent training outside. She engraved this scent into her mind in the off chance that this would be the last time he held her in his arms. What a grave thought to be thinking but it nonetheless could come to pass.
"Next week is too soon." She softly said, hoping that he did not hear the trembling in her voice. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all. Fate had torn them apart once, and when they finally thought that happiness was before them it slipped right through their grasp again. Kagura wanted to cry until her tear ducts dried, she wanted to scream until her voice grew too horase to even speak, she wanted to keep him within her embrace until the others personally pried him from her touch.
Creasing her face, Okita leans in for a light kiss on the lips, barely skimming the surface. If he allowed himself the pleasure of taking in those taunting lush lips then the little will he had to leave her would vanish. He already loved her too much, and that only made the pain of separation all the more painful. " The war is coming fast. You should leave as soon as possible. There is already a wave of people fleeing the area, it'll be for the best."
Kagura placed her forehand against his. " I rather die with pride than leave a coward. My family is here and you are here, I would not abandon any of you for the sake of my own life."
Okita, suddenly riled with anger, pushed her an arm length away. " Then you really are the fool I made you out to be, China. Why can't you see that what I say is for your best interest?! You have to live on even if I die!"
" Why do I have to live?! Why is it always you who has to do all the scarifying?! It's not fair! This is a two way relationship, Sadist, you can't make these choices on your own! You died last time, I will make sure with my last breath that it won't happen again!" she said equally agitated.
" Don't do this to me, Kagura." He pleaded, " Don't try to be the hero, not this time."
"Try me." She hissed. Kagura stood from the couch and marched to her room, leaving an exasperated Okita sitting on the couch. The dirty blonde wearily ran his hand through his hair. Please don't let her do anything stupid, please. That was his one prayer to the god that had failed him so many times already. Just this one prayer.
After their fight, Kagura refused to talk to Okita. She ignored his calls, his texts, and she even ignored him when he pounded on her door for half an hour straight. Even if Okita wanted to apologize and try to right the wrongs, the stubborn Yato would not allow him. Okita grew more apprehensive with the passing days, the conscription date grew closer yet and still Kagura refused to forgive him. He did not want to leave on bad terms for if he did not return, then the regret would definitely eat way at her, he did not want to imprint such a burden on her already heavy shoulders.
The night before the morning of the conscription Okita knocked on the Yato household door one last time, the bishounen did not even care if her lunatic brother or senile father answered. Fully expecting to wait half and hour at the earliest, Okita was pleasantly surprised when Kagura answered on the second knock. She wordlessly tackled him into a hug. Burying her face into his chest, she incoherently mumbled out a string of apologies. Okita smiled, he had heard enough.
" Im sorry for being so harsh last time, China. Will you forgive this handsome devil?"
She chuckled, " I won't forgive a handsome devil but I will forgive the handsome sadist, count yourself lucky that I have such a kind soul."
"You grace me with your presence then." He joked. Okita looked Kagura in the eyes, the twinkle of her blue melting into the glimmer of his red. " Will you come see me one last time tomorrow?"
Kagura frowned at the way he worded the question, " I will come see you off, but I offer no goodbyes, that would mean we may never see each other again."
He answered with a sad smile. "Beggars can't be choosers I guess. I love you, and I always will, China." Their lips met one last time. The universe felt so right in that one moment. So engrossed in the perfection of this moment, they forgot the worries of the impending war, they forgot the fear of potential death, and they forgot the pain of imminent separation. But a moment is only a moment, too brief for either of their likings.
" I love you too, Sadist. Forever and ever." Kagura mumbled into the fabric of his shirt. And they stayed in their hug for a long while, neither wanting to separate so quickly.
The morning of the dreaded day had been grim. The clouds covered the sun and cast a looming grayness over all of Edo. Okita was not one for believing in the other worldly but this felt like a bad omen. He briskly dressed in the provided blue uniforms and grabbed the already packed backpack of personal belongings. Before he left the apartment, Okita took one final glance at the place he called home for so many years, it would be a while before returning to this place again.
Okita quickly spotted Otae in the crowd of family and friends sending off their beloveds to war. Most of the members of the dojo had also been recruited, and even Kondo, with his age a good deal higher than his students, was recruited. He was crying on the shoulder of a sympathetic Otae. She tried her best to calm the wailing man she called her husband. Shinpachi was obviously annoyed since Kondo left not space for him to wish his sister a goodbye. Gintoki, who had also been conscripted, was farther off talking to a blonde woman Okita assumed to be his wife. Even Tama had come to bid Yamazaki goodbye, this brought tears to the Apan maniac. Okita searched the crowd for a familiar vermillion colored female but she was nowhere to be seen.
" You can join the club, Sougo. You have no one sending you off either." Said Hijikata as he took a drag from his cigarette.
" If you want to die that badly then you should have just asked, Hijikata. I would gladly kill you before one of the Amanto does." Okita passively replied all the while searching for that vermillion hair.
" Oii! You're picking a fight even during conscription? You cease to amaze me, Sougo."
" Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment." And without another word the recruits were ushered into place. They lines up arm to arm. Okita could see hundreds of squads comprising of a myriad of people, the conscription after all had an age limit of 55. What surprised him most was that there seemed to be a squad with only females. It was not mandatory for females to answer the conscription call, however, they had the option to voluntarily join the cause. He laughed at their stupidity, who would voluntarily join a war? It was a short lived laughter for Okita at last found the woman with vermillion hair he had been searching for before. She stood in the front of the small female exclusive squad.
"No." Okita said to himself, " It can't be her." He squinted his eyes and prayed that they deceived him. The more he looked though, the clearer the image became, it was undeniably Kagura. Shock spread through his body, the idiot had voluntarily joined the war.
Sorry about the rather long hiatus everyone, I've been lacking a lot of motivation to write this story, or any story at the moment. And yes, I know, I was so mean of me to end with such a shocking cliffhanger. But the ball is rolling, a lot happened in this chapter, Kagura and Okita are enlisted in the army now! Keep reading to find out what happen! And thank you to the lovely readers who have been following me for this long, I know this is a slow burning story so thank you for sticking with it. I hope you enjoyed!