Wow, this story is finally on it's long awaited last chapter. Its been a long ride but we're finally here, so without further ado, lets proceed to the ending.
DISCLAIMER:I OWN NOTHING
During the warmer months, when the cicadas buzzed unremittingly and the sweltering heat caused clothing to adhere to skin like plaster, Okita recalled the trips his family frequented to a secluded lake, hidden in the heart of a forest. The skyscrapers of the city turned to rolling green fields, and soon the vast expanse of domesticated land transformed to an even greener sea of forest. Although Okita no longer remembered the name of the lake, he could still remember the road there. Just like the road home, it stayed ingrained in his heart. And he remembered competing with his sister over who could hold their breath underwater the longest. A time long before the symptoms of her poor lungs progressed uncontrolled, a time when their parents would laugh at the antics of their children. He often won these challenges, and to prove his masculinity in his seven-year-old mind Okita would remain underwater, eyes open and mouth puffed up like a fish. Time slowed while underwater, the fish acted more lethargically, the waves of the lake ebbed ever so gently, and then Okita would blink once, twice and resurface for air. Water filled his ears, the words of his sister and parents muffled at he smiled triumphantly.
Okita felt as though he had resurfaced for air, his lungs barely functioning and his ears stuffed. He saw Gintoki's lip's move but his words failed to reach him. Then his ears popped and the deafening cacophony of the world surged at him. He first registered her scream. Shrill, loud and crystal clear. He whipped his head towards her, he always knew where she was. An amanto, scaly and too hideous for the eyes, grabbed her by the wrist. Okita stepped into a run before his own mind register the situation. The heart thinks faster than the mind. She easily tore away from the Amanto's grip, flinging him towards the ground like he was light as a feather. Okita derived no reassurance from her demonstration of strength. He needed to be by her side. He needed to be next to Kagura, his Kagura. She could not fade into his memory like the lake, like his parents, not like Mitsubu. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, propelling him forward.
"KAGURA!" He cried out desperately. Okita reached out his hand towards her and she grabbed it without hesitation.
"I'm a little busy right now if you can't see, Sadist." She pulled him close and with a quick twirl their backs were now flushed. Kagura was panting a bit and a flush of pink dotted her otherwise porcelain skin. The fight had only begun.
Okita unsheathed his sword. The fine steel glistened in the fire of the chaos, an image of eerie beauty. "Don't leave my side, China." He said in between swings.
Kagura round house kicked a monstrous Amanto, he stood at least 9ft tall with skin similar to a rhino's, but a Yato's capabilities should never be underestimated. " Way to be clingy, Sadist. Stop breathing my air, a girl's gotta be independent!" She said jokingly.
" As a Sadist I need to assert my dominance so, China, be a good girl and stay near this great prince." He retaliated. It felt great to bicker with her, it made him feel normal, but their lives, their current situation was far from normal. Let this moment last, please let this moment las forever.
"This really isn't the place or time to be flirting!" shouted Gintoki from nearby. He was helping Shinpachi fend off another endless wave of Amanto soldiers. "Keep your libidos in check for like 5 minutes! Goddamnit these younglings and their raging hormones!"
"Gin-san! As much as I think it's important to reprimand people about indecent displays of public affection I think there is also A BETTER PLACE AND TIME FOR THAT!" Shinpachi said, his back now flushed against Gintoki's. The amount of Amanot descending upon the camp was endless. They could only hope that the others, Hijikata, Kondo and even Yamazaki fared better.
"Oh stop fussing like a mother hen, Megane, there's no better time than the present." The permed hair swordsman replied in his usual passive voice.
"That only applies to normal situations, not when we're FIGHTING A GODDAMN WAR!"
Gintoki rolled his eyes as he blocked the mace of an enemy. " Okay mom, whatever you say. You kids can go back to flirting then, just don't start sucking each other's faces." Gintoki shouted towards Okita and Kagura.
The duo laughed. " I say we do it just to make Gin-chan mad." Kagura said, her smile as infectious as ever.
Okita found the briefest of moments to gently caress his hand across her cheek. God, love would be the death of him.
" I love you." He barely said in a whisper as he continued to rally swings against an Amanto swordsman. " Forever and always."
Kagura paused in the middle of combat, glaring at him solemnly. "This won't become a funeral, far from it, Sougo. We'll fight to the end and we will win."
He gave her a strained smile, and for once found it difficult to lie through his teeth. " We will." He struggled to say those deceitful words. And as if God was punishing him for lying, an explosion, one that shook the earth and all around it, detonated. Kagura and Okita were roughly thrown through the field, pushed by the force of the detonation. They landed unceremoniously and with dizzying vision.
Okita, with all the remaining strength he could conquer, tried to stand. He needed to protect Kagura who laid nearby, as shell shocked as he. She was moving but her eyes were closed and blood streamed down the side of her face, the results of the impact. Okita blinked and the world suddenly become red. Panic rose in him but he soon realized it was the red of his own blood. He touched his forehead and winced, without seeing Okita knew that there was a deep gash near his left brow. Again he tried to stand but an overwhelming sense of vertigo impaired him from doing little more than hoisting himself up a bit. He couldn't be weak, not now of all times. Enemies were approaching, the two of them, injured by the explosion and laying there helplessly, were easy picking. Tears were welling up in his eyes, " No!" he screamed with a voice so hoarse it surprised Okita that sound even came out of his throat.
Okita had shed tears twice in his life, and he thought that he had cried all the tears possible within those two moments. And yet now a waterfall rushed down his face. Kagura was closer to them, she was barely conscious and was the Amanto's intended killed. This was the tragedy of the past replaying itself. Through sheer willpower Okita pushed passed the vertigo and hoisted himself to a standing position, but he had to lean on his sword for support and the vision in his left eye was slightly blurred by his injury. Even if his body physically was unable to fight on, he would will it too, until his muscles could no longer grip the handle of his sword, until his vision completely disappeared and he depended solely on instinct for battle, until his last breath was forcefully dragged from his body, he would fight on, till death do them part.
But even with Okita's valiant efforts to defend off the Amantos it was a losing battle. He was heavily injured while trying to protect the now unconscious Kagura and the Amanto simply kept coming. Barely able to defend himself, Okita was becoming sluggish. His slashes grew weaker by the passing moment and in the brevity of his delay an Amanto charged pass him with intentions of killing Kagura first.
Time had been passing so quickly between the moment of the explosion and him warding off hordes of Amanto in his weakened state. But right now he felt like he was once again submerged underwater. The world moving more lethargically, slowly enough for him to clearly analyze everything. The Amanto was charging towards Kagura, he could see the rising and falling of the Amanto's legs, its sinewy flesh flexed with the strain of the movement. Okita dare not blink or else he would see his greatest fear come to pass. And perhaps when he did blink it was his mind trying to protect him, trying to shield his from the sorrows of seeing his lover killed right before his eyes. Then there was a scream, an unworldly shrieking of sorts, clearing belonging an Amanto and not his beloved Kagura. Okita opened his crimson eyes to see Takasugi towering over the body of the Amanto. For a split second the fear of Takasugi bringing his blade down on Kagura and skewering her overcame him. But then the man simply continued deposing of the Amanto. The brown haired man looked at Okita solemnly, not a sign of fatigue in his deposition. Takasugi quickly ended off the remaining Amanto with ease. When had their school nurse, who should respectfully be called their school doctor seeing as he was a doctor, acquired such a level of swordsmanship. It was leagues above his own, and unlike his injured self, Takasugi had both the energy and clarity of mind that he currently did not.
"Why are you helping us?" Okita croaked out. He had never liked Takasugi. It was a gut feeling that was intertwined with his past memory. Takasugi had wrong both him and Kagura in unforgivable ways, hardly a man to hand out trust to.
" To right my wrongs." He said calmly. " Now go. There is a truck up the road evacuating soldiers."
"But." Okita replied, thinking of Kondo, Danna, Yamazaki, Kamui and even stupid Hijikata in that moment.
"Reinforcement is coming from Kyoto. The commanders are sending the tanks as we speak, so take her and go." Takasugi said gesturing to Kagura.
Okita limped over to her and lifted her shoulder onto his in order to support the unconscious body, he sadly did not have the strength to carry her completely.
"What about you?" Okita asked one last time before heading up the dirt paved path.
Takasugi smirked at him. " I am a man of many sins. Slaying just a few Amanto will not be enough to repent. So once more, go."
Okita trudged forward with Kagura's arm on his in silence. He looked back once to see the green of Takasugi's uniform and the bandage wrapping that usually covered his right eye. The man was once again mercilessly slaying Amanto. It looked like a demon was summoned and massacring its prey. It was ironic though, in the past Takasugi was irrefutably the demon of the story and yet now, even in the hideous camouflage green uniform, he appeared more angelic than ever. The demon transcended boundaries and become a guardian angel. And even if Takasugi had sinned endlessly in the past, this was his new road to redemption and for once in his life he had done an act of good. Okita said a silent thank you to the man who prevented the tragedy of his and Kagura's past from reoccurring. Without another second's delay Okita marched toward, to the safety of the evacuation truck and a better day.
They lost the battle but won the war. The Amanto forces had intended for the bombing of the recruitment camp and then the raid of the evacuation site to be a demonstration of its strength. It definitely was. Thousands of soldiers died in between the two events, but an even greater amount of Amanto died. The humans were not as weak as the others in outer space thought them to be. And after the reinforcement tanks from Kyoto arrived, heavy damages were inflicted upon the Amantos. At that point too many human lives were sacrificed in the name of peace and the battle itself could be considered nothing else but a tragedy and a lost. Nevertheless this battle, later to be known as the battle that soon ended the war, produced rippling effects in the dynamics of the battle. Kamui, being the impeccably strong, impeccably deranged Yato he was, marched right on board the main battle fleet of the Amanto forces, pushed through the heavy security, with the help of Abuto and some of the soldiers from his former 7th division, and killed the General on board. Luck so be it, that General, one that Kamui did not even bother to ask the name of, was apparently a lead strategist in the Amanto forces. The Amantos suffered a much heavier lost than they ever intended with that invasion. Kamui later, that smug, under qualified, half-a-brain older brother of Kagura's, was promoted to a General's position as well. Arguably it was a position he was not qualified for but with Abuto doing all the menial paperwork Kamui's life was smooth sailing.
Takasugi also did his fair share of damage during that battle. He coincidentally, or not if you're considering the person in reference being Takasugi, killed a Lietuentant of the Amanto army. With two commanding officials dead in an attack that was supposed to demonstrate their strength, the Resistance was only growing in patriotism. And much later, skipping the logistics of all the politics, an agreement was reached between the Humans and the Amantos. It wasn't quite the peace that everyone hoped for but it was peace nonetheless. The Amantos would stop their attacks and trade would resume. It seemed that the war was fought for naught, but in actuality, it was a war between a predetermined fate and a fate that the star crossed lovers wanted to pave for themselves. In the end the star crossed lovers won the hard fought victory.
Gintoki and Shinpachi sustained a few superficial injuries but otherwise evacuated without further obstacles. Hijikata suffered a broken arm while Kondo had a mild concussion, Yamazaki luckily suffered light injuries as well. And Kagura, after being delivered to the Kyoto base and provided proper medical attention, also was diagnosed with a mild concussion. Everyone we alive, perhaps ruffled up a bit, but alive and well. They escaped the chains of their tragic past at long last. For once, the heavens had answered their pleas and granted them the solace of one another. So there were miracles in this wretched world after all.
"You look like shit, Sadist. What happened to those dashing bishounen looks you brag about all the time?" Kagura said as she munched on some grapes in her hospital bed. Her complexion was still pale, the life having not fully returned to her, but she was awake and apparently feeling better if she had the strength to insult him.
"Ditto. You probably haven't looked at yourself in the mirror yet right, China? You'd surprise at the monster staring back at you." He said with a devious grin.
She scoffed. " I don't want to hear that from the guy wearing an eyepatch and an arm sling. And who are you lying to, I look beautiful all the time, post-concussion and all."
Okita sat in his chair silently, his crimson eyes intently staring at her. She did look beautiful. Even though her hair stuck up in a myriad of directions and there was visible eye crust in the corner of her tear ducts, she looked beautiful to him. Okita couldn't but internally laugh, he must have gone delusional, off the deep end, to think that this gluttonous monster before him was beautiful. And yet she undeniably was. His mind wandered to more domestic thoughts, of him waking up besides her every morning, or having to eat her poor attempts at cooking. They were all things he willingly wanted to do.
"If you have something to say then hurry it up, Sadist." Kagura said after Okita stopped talking abruptly. The gaze he was giving her sent shivers down her spine.
"I will then." Okita rose from his seat. Kagura thought he was going to leave for a brief second but then he started to lower himself to the ground, she was still confused until he got on one knee and everything then seemed so clear to her.
Okita took her hand, Kagura was still flabbergasted at what he was intending to do. " While I don't have an engagement ring prepared, I think there are some things that do not need to be conveyed with a physical object." His hands were becoming clammy and his throat all of sudden was going dry. "Kagura, I know you're only partially a woman and the other half a gluttonous monster." This got him a gentle slap on the arm. Smiling, Okita simply shook it off and continued. "And I am a fool for willing to give up my bachelorhood to such a woman, but I want to be a fool,I want to be your fool, I want to be with you, forever and always. So that's why I'm asking, Kagura, will you marry me?"
Kagura's formerly parchment white face was now a flaming red. She didn't know if she should be shedding tears of joy that Okita proposed or tears of anger because he insulted her along the way. But there was only ever one answer in her heart. "You are a fool, sadist." She said, catching him a bit off guard. "you're a fool for thinking I would say anything else other than yes."
Okita released the breath that he didn't even know he was holding. He stood up and enveloped her in an awkward one armed hug, being mindful of his sling and Kagura's delicate condition.
"What are we, just friends? Give me a kiss too dumby." Okita's face lit up with a smile. This woman would be the death of him and yet he couldn't imagine it any other way. He leaned down for a kiss, a kiss that would break the curse placed on the princess, a kiss to signify their happily-ever-after.
"Gin-chan, you should try to soften your voice, or else they'll hear you." Said Shinpachi.
Gintoki was sobbing furiously, snot and tears covering his entire face, he feebly tried to wipe it away with his sleeve. " Shut up, megane. It's an emotional moment okay? I can't believe our little Kagura will be getting married soon. Oh where have the good old days gone?"
"Don't say that our I'll….." Shinpachi voice suddenly broke and tears also started streaming down his face.
"A pathetic lot, all of you." Said Hijikata as he watched all these emotional men from his position along side the wall.
" How are you not crying, Toshi! Our baby Sougo is going to get married!" cried Kondo. If Hijikata thought Gintoki was a mess than Kondo's current appearance could not be described in words. And Sougo was by no means Hijikata's baby, he would rather commit seppuku than allow that to happen. But the raven haired man was happy for him. Mitsuba would be happy that her younger brother was finally able to marry the person he loved.
"Yes, Hijikata-san, should you not be crying? That baby Sougo of yours will soon be dead by the time I'm don't with him." Said Kamui with his murderous poker face on. " How dare that abomination have the audacity to propose to MY little sister?! Abuto! We're going on a manhunt!"
The older man simply sighed as he tried to restrain his supervisor from storming into the hospital room and murdering a person in cold blood. Abuto felt bad for Okita, the poor sucker got stuck with some pretty looney in-laws. When Umibozu hears of this he'll also have a field day. " Will you stop making a scene for once. You technically are a General now, act like one."
"But Kaguraaaaa!" Kamui whined.
The on-duty looked on with horror. She dared not interrupt these lunatics to make her scheduled rounds. Instead, the nurse slowly backed away, as any sane human would have done.
As the chaos was ensuing outside Kagura's hospital room, the two lovers inside decided to completely ignore their crazy friends and family. Right now it was just them, in each other arms, safe and happy.
Well, after many long years this story has finally come to an end. A happy end to say the least. Although there was kind of a resolution at the very end of the story I think I'll still write a fun omake/epilogue chapter later on. Epilogues are always fun. Thank you lovely readers for having stuck with this story for so long even when I didn't. My love for this story does not run deep but nevertheless I am happy it has wrapped up nicely, all thanks to the encouragement of the readers. I hoped you enjoyed and tell me what you guys may want out of an epilogue. A character free for all maybe?