So the time has come. How fast time passes. As most of you know, this ff had been on hiatus for one and a half year because I was pregnant and had horrible morning sickness, gave birth and was looking for a job. I also lost my best friend and beta reader in that time, so even though my love for Gintama was still strong, I just couldn't continue. But I always wanted to finish at least this arc since I've been really looking forward to it a lot. And alas, today is the day this ff finally continues. Rejoice!

As we can see now form the real Gintama ending, I almost couldn't have been more off with my predictions. After chapter 674 all I can say now is: wtf Sorachi. But I also loved what was going on between Hijikata and Gintoki and that's why I got a lot of HijixGin energy from these last chapters. I can't promise you anything, but I'll try my best to finish this FF. Please bear with me :).

Sorry for the long wait! Love you all and enjoy the new chapter!

"You take this area and I'll go further ahead. He can't be that far." Hijikata tried his best to appear calm and rational, but it was impossible to cover up his edginess. It had already spread to Shinpachi, who returned his concerned look.

"Roger that, Hijikata-san. We'll find him."

The policeman was thankful for this reassurance and nodded before darting off. He was thankful that the teenager and the alien girl were helping him. But somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all his fault. If only he had already imprisoned these yakuza. If only he had already stopped the circulation of this drug. If only he had kept an eye on Gintoki, none of this would ever have happened. But at the same time, he knew these thoughts were pointless. He needed to find him as quickly as possible. He had a very bad feeling about all of this. Nothing good could come out of this situation.

The policeman had been searching the whole area for a while now. It was a Friday and as the dawn was breaking, hundreds of people were streaming into Kabuki-chō to enjoy its vibrant nightlife. The streets were bustling. Hostesses were playfully inviting him into their clubs, grandmas were flocking around the pachinko machines, teenagers were messing around the electronic stores, and drunk people were cheering him on as he paced through the streets to find Gintoki. Every time he showed his badge and asked people if they had seen a silver-haired teenager, he got the same confused look and answer. And with every dying ray of sunlight, he felt the burning feeling in his chest growing.

He started looking inside Pachinko salons. There were a lot of them. Every one of them crowded with people of all ages, smoking, gambling, almost turning deaf in the ear-shattering sound of the machines. It had been a good guess that the teenager might be here. If any part of Gintoki was still alive inside of him, that is. But he didn't have any luck. Maybe he didn't have enough money?

As the thought crossed his mind, Hijikata stopped in the middle of the street for a second. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Cold sweat was making his collar itch and his pulse was giving him a headache. It was almost dark now and the air was filled with alcohol, smoke, and laughter. His throbbing head cooled down with every lungful of the chilling night air. Think, he needed to think.

If not Pachinko, what else? Where would he go? A bar? Drinking? Girls? Sex? His blue eyes roamed the street as he saw a wide arrange of nightclubs, bars, maid cafes and 'gentlemen clubs'. He had seemed pretty horny, right? So maybe he was going into a strip club? The dark-haired man turned red and closed his eyes in denial. God, he would totally go there. Luckily, he didn't have any money to actually buy a courtesan here and Yoshiwara was too far away. So Hijikata was probably still in time to stop him from doing something illegal. Hopefully…

Begrudgingly, the policeman decided to follow this trail. There was a lot to pick from here, so he started to go into the first strip club he found. Of course, he was greeted with open arms, a smile and a first-class offer for a lap-dance. Hijikata was really happy the lighting in the club was bright neon green, so no one could see his reddened face as he evaded the swinging butts and looked for an underage Gintoki. He didn't have any luck though and wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign now.

Before leaving, he told the manager to call the police if he saw a teenager with silver hair. As he did with the next one. And the one after that. And after the sixth night establishment, he had forced himself into, he had almost lost all hope of ever finding him. Possibly, this teenage version of his boyfriend already lay somewhere, making out with a hot girl. The thought unnerved him tremendously. But he kept on searching because he knew he had to. He couldn't leave this task to Shinpachi and Kagura and he didn't want them to go into these kinds of clubs. So he took a deep breath and stepped foot into the next club, a cute girl behind him wishing him a lovely time in "The Love Cove".

.

The air inside was thick and heavy with the sweet smell of alcohol and the sticky sound of laughter and clinging classes. The light was dimmed, and a soft jazz music was playing. Dozens of little booths and tables were arranged inside the room and every one of them had a couple of women and men enjoying each other's company. It wasn't much different from the one Otae worked at and for a moment, Hijikata was afraid to find his boss here. His eyes scanned the room carefully and he could feel the sexual tension lingering in the air. Most of these hostesses were occupied with talking to their customers about their stressful week, lifting their spirits with sweet smiles and cups of sake. But some of them were snuggling up to them, whispering in their ears and promising things they might be able to do after hours for a little bit of extra money.

Hijikata really felt out of place here, but he swallowed his pride and uneasiness and started walking down the aisles. The song was just switching to a smoother, even sexier melody, when the policeman made out silver looks somewhere at a table. His heart sank for a second and his pace accelerated. He didn't want to believe it. But as he drew closer to the table, he could see a face he had grown quite accustomed to in these last months.

A beautiful young woman was chuckling at one of his remarks, leaning over to him to tease him with an encouraging look. She was probably in her twenties, had long brunette hair and a crimson kimono with a nice plunging neckline. She was a beauty no doubt and was playing right into her customer's crazy testosterone trip. A silver-haired young man was at her side, not even trying to hide his lusting gaze buried in her cleavage. He was almost drooling and licking his lips constantly. His excited voice was a bit more high-pitched than usual and his hair was clouding his gaze as he leaned into her to smell her neck.

"You mean... you would like to show me how I can defeat the end boss?"

Her chuckle was adorable, but also professionally seductive as she stroked his check. "Sure, sweetheart. I can help you complete the game aaaaanyway you like. But you know… I need to make sure you know how to play. Do you?"

"Kehehe, baby. I'm a real pro at this, trust me. You will want to play again just to see if it will be just as good." He was in head over heels for her, grabbing her knee now.

And the hostess giggled again, rubbing her nose against his cheek. "You're cute. I'll come and play with you if you can pay the right price."

Horny, turning in to meet her nose with his, Gin was already closing his eyes and sliding his hand up her tight. A whisper escaped his mouth, but it was impossible to hear.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Half of the club was turning their heads now, gawking towards the booth where a policeman stood and fumed. The hostess was visually taken aback, jumping away from Gin to cover up her indecent offer. The teenager turned his head towards him and groaned as he recognized his face.

"Oh god… not this guy again."

Hijikata, in turn, was seething, not being able to contain the poisonous mix of anger, hurt, relief and jealousy. His eyes were fixing on Gintoki and were not playing around.

"What are you doing here? This is not a place you should be in!"

"Kch!" The teenager was pissed already, defiantly throwing back his head and leaning back as to provoke him. "Why are you here, grandpa? I'm just having fun."

A throbbing vein appeared on his forehead. He didn't have time for this, for any of this. "You are underage. You are not allowed in here, set aside drinking."

"He is… underage?" The beautiful girl exhaled, stared at Gin and back at Hijikata, understanding the full depth of the situation now. "So-sorry, I didn't know that. I mean- I didn't intend on doing anything anyway. I've always been a lawful citizen, I-"

But she couldn't finish because her customer was already bellowing. "So what! Just because I'm not an old geezer with wrinkled balls, I'm not allowed to have fun? What kind of screwed up logic is that? That's age discrimination! And besides, you're stalking me! What do you even want from me, huh?"

"I'm not stalking you, I'm making sure you're not doing something illegal!"

"I'm not doing anything illegal!"

"But you're about to!"

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, is there a problem?" A man in a nice suit approached them with a worried smile. He had his hands raised in a calming manner.

"Yes, there is! This man is stalking me!" Gin exclaimed dramatically and didn't mind making a scene. He was pissed at the black-haired man and so horny his pants hurt.

Hijikata growled softly and half-heartedly pulled out his badge, giving the manager a quick look. "I'm with the Shinsengumi and this man is under my protection. I'm currently monitoring him, and he managed to get away. He's a minor."

"Fuck you!" Gin was furious now for being thrown under the bus like that. "Just some hours ago you claimed to be my boyfriend and now you're playing this card? This man is a freaking pedophile! He's harassing me!"

As Hijikata felt cutting glares scraping away his skin, he turned red and hissed. "That's- that's not true! We're not in that kind of relationship! I'm- I'm not doing anything like that!"

"Oh yeah? Leave me alone then! Get fucking lost, you homo!"

Even more eyes were on them now and Hijikata Toushiro could feel the situation slipping out of his hands. He felt helpless again and didn't know what to do. So, he panicked and did what he could do best. Pull out all the stops and play the demonic vice chief. Reaching into his back pocket, he stared at the defiant teenager.

And the next second a metallic 'cling' of two handcuffs tied Gin's hands together. The cop was giving him a hard glare and pulled him out of the booth. "That's it. I'm bringing you to the police station. Your evening ends here. "

Of course, teenage Gin was protesting and screaming at him, trying to break free, but the policeman didn't loosen his tight grip on his arm and dragged him outside. He ignored all of the judging eyes, all of the worried and anxious expressions directed towards him. He just pushed on and wanted to get this over with. With Gin being in this state, he could only lose. So, he swallowed that pill and played the bad guy. He didn't have much of a choice.

The teenager kept protesting when they got outside and fought against the cop with all his might, except for that he didn't stand a chance. Hijikata could easily overpower him. It seemed as if Gin had lost some muscle as well as a side effect of the drug. Or he just lost his tenacity. In any case, Hijikata was feeling nauseous. This person wasn't Gintoki at all. Arresting him always felt different. Had always felt strangely consensual. Now he was just a weak, defenseless teenager who was completely at his mercy. It made him feel like a total dirtbag. He could sense his stomach churning, his heart throbbing and his palms getting cold.

Dragging the teenager through the streets was a real low point. As much as he possibly could, he ignored Gin's verbal abuse and wild accusations. The grip on his arm was painfully tight and he hissed at him to calm down. Of course, that didn't help and when the silver head was condemning him for wanting to sell him into slavery, Hijikata finally snapped. He turned around, grabbed his collar and shot him an intimidating look worthy of a demonic Vice Chief. His voice was threatening low rumble.

"Listen up, I'm not gonna say it again. Be quiet and calm down. You are drugged and underage right now. And that means you're under my direct protection. I know you don't care, but you can't do whatever you like. I'm getting you to the police station now and then we will see what happens next. The more you resist, the more difficult things will get for you."

That shut him up. The young silver head stared back at him and Hijikata really saw a different man standing before him. His face was fed-up, but there was a juvenile defiance glimmering in his eyes. He looked threatened to some extent, but not afraid of his senior in the least. A gruff grunt escaped his tightly pressed lips and he capitulated. Hijikata could see him boiling under the surface. The cop couldn't afford to care. He loosened his grip a bit and continued to lead him towards the Headquarter. He tried not to think, tried not to feel anything. He blocked out all of his emotions because he was afraid they would overwhelm him if he gave in to them.

So, they walked in frozen silence through the bustling streets of the Kabuki-chō. Hijikata didn't look back, he couldn't stand to see his face right now. Gin ceased his fighting and was obediently following him, it seemed. The air was growing colder and the colorful neon signs and lanterns in the street were shielding them from the suffocating darkness. Around them, people were enjoying their Friday evening.

They were near Golden Gai when Hijikata first realized a tug on his sleeve. He had turned completely numb and deaf towards his surroundings in a desperate attempt to levigate his feelings. The teenager behind him was cutting through that with a single shout.

"I told you to stop for a second, dammit!"

Startled, the policeman stopped in his tracks and turned towards him. Gin greeted him with an annoyed grunt and a defensive gaze.

"…I think you and I got off on the wrong foot. …Can we please just talk for a minute? Alone somewhere?"

The dark-haired man was baffled by this request. Was he scheming something? His blue eyes scanned the teenager from bottom to top, but he couldn't detect any mischief or bad intentions. Instead, he saw him rubbing his wrists where the handcuffs painfully scratched against his skin. Hijikata was gulping down a hot lump sitting in his throat and felt guilty. Averting his gaze, he nodded towards a back alley. It was the safest place, he figured. At least Gin couldn't stage a scene there. He truly didn't need any more pedophilic accusations against him.

Obediently, the young man followed him into the narrow back alley. As they were halfway through, the policeman stopped and turned towards his protégé, trying to be as calm as possible. Looking at this teenage version of his boyfriend really made his heart skip a painful beat. How could they look so much alike and still be so different? He didn't know how to deal with that.

Gin was grinding his teeth and raised his hands, showing him the reddishly darkened skin from where the handcuffs cut when Hijikata had been yanking him out of the booth. "Could you please un-cuff me? These hurt like hell. Don't worry. I won't run away. I'm not that stupid. You showed me quite clearly that you don't take no for an answer."

Seeing the extent of his actions, the policeman really hit a low point. He felt sick realizing what he had done to him. To Gintoki. No, to this teenager who happened to look like him. He wasn't really there anymore, right? The man he fell in love with.

Now there was only a defenseless young man who had been bruised by his violent behavior. Gintoki would have been able to handle this. This guy, however, was a victim. And he felt so guilty, his breathing stopped for a whole moment until he averted his gaze and removed his restraints. His throat was too dry to even say a word.

When the cold iron was finally off, Gin exhaled loudly and stepped back, leaning against the dark wall, rubbing his numb arms. He was eerily calm now, but still with a sharp bite in his voice. "Urgh… you really didn't have to use that much force. I was, like, really doing nothing illegal. I mean, I know you're old and stuff, but surely you remember how you were as a teenager. I just wanted to have some fun. …No need to pull out the big guns like that…"

Hijikata wasn't able to answer. He wasn't even able to look into his eyes. He hated himself for what he had done to him. But it was too late now, anyway, right? So, he just stood there motionlessly, waiting to find the courage to face this situation head-on.

For a long moment, there was a striking silence between them and he could feel Gin's gaze laying heavily on his chest. He was scrutinizing him, reading him. He wondered if he could. If there still was any part of Gintoki left in him. Gintoki would have seen through him right away. That thought pierced through him, elicited an invisible hurt smile. Damn it. He missed him already. What the hell was he supposed to do in this situation?

.

"So…" Gin's composed voice startled him, pulled him back into this weird reality. The teenager seemed to have calmed down and his analyzing stare dug deep. "…Can you tell me again what all of this is about? Who are you again? And why're you glued to my ass?"

The dark-haired man took a full breath and closed his eyes, calming down as well. He still couldn't look at him, but at least he was able to answer now.

"Well… you're actually a grown man working as a jack of all trades together with Shinpachi and Kagura, the two teenagers you met in the hospital. Somehow, you got in contact with a nasty drug that made you who you are now. So… this is not actually your body."

"I know that." Gin interrupted him sternly. "I was asking about you."

Still not enough courage to face him directly. Words didn't come easy to him either. "I'm… your boyfriend. Or I was before the drug kicked in. …I don't know if you're his real teenage self or another person altogether, but… you have to understand that your actions are not your own."

"So basically… you're just jealous and don't want me to bone someone else, am I right?" A sober conclusion with a dash of annoyance.

His cheeks reddened, and he clicked his tongue, almost choking on it. "That… is one aspect, maybe… but I'm also worried about him… about you. You are full of drugs and lost your memories… anyone would look after you."

"Heh." His teenage self was cocky and bold, making him wonder if Gin had been like this when he had been 17. Still, he was completely different from the man he was now. "Whatever. …Listen up, pal. I am horny. My dick is so hard, it's basically tearing my parts apart. I need to relieve the pressure. Clearly, you must remember this, right? As a teenager, you don't really have that much of a choice. Show me some sympathy, man."

What was he supposed to answer now? Of course, he could understand him. This young man didn't have any affiliation with him, he didn't even know him. Why should he care about Hijikata's feelings? And still, the policeman just couldn't bear the thought of him having sex with another person. Not even as a different person. His answer was half-hearted and hesitant.

"Then get to work yourself. Surely, you haven't forgotten how to pleasure yourself without bothering others."

"Tsk, unbelievable…" The silver head kicked a few stones in frustration and folded his arms. A long silence reigned in which the cop was able to collect himself and store all of his feelings away. After a few moments, he finally had the courage to look at him, look into his eyes. And then he realized the teenager was staring back at him, locking him up with just the red shimmer of his irises in the dark twilight of the alleyway.

For a moment, their gazes were tightly locked, pinning them in their positions. Then, the silver head tilted his head and had a peculiarly dominant aura around him. "You're my boyfriend, right? So that means we two had sex, right?"

Oh no. He didn't like where this was going.

Not being able to shake the embarrassment showing on his cheeks, Hijikata gawked at him. "Wha-… That's… not important."

The gaze dug even deeper, almost peeling the skin from his bones. "You're actually not ugly, close by. And I guess there has to be some reason we're together, right?"

He was completely flabbergasted by this 180° turn. Was he serious?

Finally, Gin moved and came towards him, close enough to get a better look at him. His breath was crashing against his face and his eyes were full of lust and defiance at the same time. "You don't want me to bone girls. You don't want me to bone anyone. You're responsible for me, right? You said so yourself. Then be a freaking responsible boyfriend and let me fuck you."

Hijikata's jaw finally dropped. He could feel his head glowing with heat now. His racing heart kicked his whole body into defense mode, but none of his cells reacted yet.

Meanwhile, Gin put his hand flat on the cop's chest and pressed him back into the wall. He wasn't joking around and came so close the older man could feel his erection. "This is the perfect solution, right? That way you won't get jealous and can pay me back for what you've put me through. I'd say it's only fair, right? Let's do it right here."

The policeman was in pure shock. What the fuck was happening now? How horny was this guy? That wasn't funny. He couldn't actually go to bed with him. Even if this indeed was Gintoki's real teenage self, then he'd still be sleeping with a minor. And with a completely different person. He couldn't do that. It felt so wrong. This guy in front of him was looking like a child to him. And Hijikata really wasn't attracted to people much younger than him.

So, gently and firmly, he pressed his hand against Gin's chest and pushed him back. Proudly, he managed a tiny smile. Though, it looked more helpless and cornered than he realized. "D-don't joke around. I'm a cop. And you're 17. This is illegal."

"So what?" The teenager replied unnerved, still keeping close and taking Hijikata's hand. "I'd be fucking you anyway, so you can't be charged with anything. Come on. We've done it before, haven't we? So you're used to it anyway."

Just a bit flustered, Hijikata pushed him away more and ignored that. This was neither the time nor the place to tell him they were doing it the other way around for now. He tried to be gentle with him this time. "No. We're not doing that. I will bring you home now. You need to rest and sleep and get this drug out of your system."

That wasn't at all what he had hoped for. Visually annoyed, the teenager finally snapped.

In a flash, he yanked at his collar, dragging him into a kiss. Forcefully, he split open the older man's lips with his tongue and hungrily explored his mouth. His one hand was buried in Hijikata's hair, pulling him closer, while the other grabbed his ass and drew their hips together. The teenager was heaving heavily, suffering under the immense dose of testosterone he was being exposed to by the drug. He attacked him like a starving beast, his lust clouding his senses and mind.

Hijikata, in turn, was completely paralyzed by this sudden turn of events. His eyes were torn wide open, staring at the heaving and moaning young man in front of him. What hit him most was his smell, his taste. It was exactly the same. For just a second, he felt the longing for Gintoki's touch conquering him. Losing himself in this moment, this kiss, this familiar feeling. For just a second, he forgot who he was kissing right now. That this person wasn't Gintoki. Wasn't his Gintoki.

The thought made him sick. It poisoned his stomach and made him shiver. No, this was wrong. This was so wrong. He couldn't do this.

Abruptly, he shoved him away and miscalculated his strength once again. The weakened teenager stumbled backwards and crashed into the other wall, grimacing in pain. Both men were panting, but when the cop realized what he had done, he leaned forward, reaching out to him.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME, YOU PSYCHO!"

This time, Gin didn't look at him. He hid his face behind his long silver locks and looked hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. The drug was clearly taking a toll on his well-being and he suffered under its immense pressure. His voice turned hoarse as he kept on yelling.

"What the fuck, man? Who do you think you are, huh? You are a violent, sadistic asshole! Who do you think you are telling me what to do?! I'm not a fucking child, man! You can't treat me like that!"

That stung. Hijikata stopped in his tracks and held his breath. He tried to defuse the situation, his voice low and nervous. "Calm down… I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't intend to-"

"Well, you did!" Gin bellowed, beating the air and staring at him with wounded eyes. "You are no one to me! You have no right to tell me what to do! I don't fucking care if you've been my boyfriend or whatever! This is my body now and I will do whatever I want with it! You're a real psycho! Why would I ever fall in love with someone like you?!"

The hate engulfing Hijikata burned down to his very bones. He was shackled to it, unable to respond to any of this. Only his heart bled with every single new word the man he loved threw at him.

"Fuck you!" Gin jumped forward now, shoving his ex-boyfriend violently against the stone wall. "Get lost and don't ever follow me again, you creep! I fucking hate you!" The teenager shot him a last, hostile glare before finally running away.

.

Silently, the policeman tumbled backwards until he could feel the cold wall stinging in his back. Still, he was glad for its support. Because right now, his legs were ridiculously weak.

He bit his lip and closed his eyes, felt the headache pounding him relentlessly. Now, if anything, he was craving a cigarette. But he didn't reach into his pocket because the weight of Gin's words shackled him to the ground.

I fucking hate you.

He knew very well that this wasn't the same person. He knew very well that this man was someone completely different. He knew he had been under the influence of this drug. But still. It hurt. It hurt so much he could barely breathe. And what was even worse was how he himself had acted. On a scale from 1 to 10, he had landed a solid minus 20 in how to be a responsible adult. He had been jealous, had been violent, inconsiderate and pushy.

He should be ashamed, but he was too busy fighting the urge to hit himself.

Gin had obviously been hurting, he had been confused and had been desperate. He must have suffered a lot from this drug, drowning in it, disoriented and lost. He was a teenager now after all. And he had treated him like his property. Ah shit…

His thumb rubbed over his heavy eyes and he exhaled desperately. His crying heart was cutting off the blood supply to his fingers, making them tingle in pain. He was a piece of shit. He needed to apologize. He needed to find him. Even though probably none of them wanted to see the other right now. He couldn't leave him to his fate.

Gin wouldn't like this. It would probably just draw more hate towards him. But he was ready to put up with it. He didn't deserve anything else. The most important thing was to make sure Gin was safe. His feelings were now secondary.

Fuck…

The cop tried taking a step and was concerned about how wobbly he walked. It made him smile, hopelessly. What a joke. He needed to get his shit together. There was no time for regret and self-pity. What was done, was done. And all he could do for now was hope. Hope that this teenager didn't get into even more trouble. That he wasn't doing anything stupid because of him.

At least, he thought, it was nice to know that Gin would have been just a normal teenager if he would have given the chance.