"Hey, hey! Gin-chan, what's in this box?"
The silver haired samurai's head popped up as he lay passed out on the couch, looking over at the red head who had unnaturally woken up early that morning and was rummaging through his things. The urge to drop his head and go back to sleep was strong but the urge to stop her from snooping was even stronger. He jumped to his feet and stomped over; the annoyance of a shortened nap highly apparent in the weight put into the aggressive steps.
"Now, Kagura-chan, we don't go snooping in other people's stuff." He admonished the teen as she sat sprawled before the giant cardboard box of what appeared to be useless trinkets.
"But Gin-chan, I was bored and there wasn't any rice or eggs this morning to occupy my mouth with, yes." She drawled, waving her arms every which way as if the world would end without her trusty broke-man's-meal. "So," she continued after taking a moment to catch her breath (and possibly reorganize her thoughts), "I decided to do some exploring."
An eyebrow raised itself in consternation. "Some exploring, eh?" Gintoki asked, the words rolling slowly off his tongue.
Kagura turned to toss a harsh glare at the former samurai behind her before returning her previous activity of shuffling through miscellaneous items. She paused, pulling out an old tome, the pages aged and covered in tea stains and warped by water damage. "Gin-chan, why do you have a book called 'Bushido for Dummies'? Were you bad at reading and writing as a kid or something?" She began to rifle through the pages, barely noticing the messy scribbles and sketches in the margins before the book was ripped from her hands.
"As I said earlier, Kagura-chan, we do not go through other people's things without permission." He continued even though she popped her bottom lip out in a pout and attempted at making her eyes as puppy eyed as she could (but failed). "And that is final." He finished, closing the book with a clap, ending the argument before it even began.
.
Kagura woke up with a start. Even though the dream was becoming more and more hazy now that she had regained consciousness, the feeling of realness hadn't subsided. She sat up in her bed, rubbing her temples hoping that the action might refresh her fading memory or at the very least distraction from the strange, unnerving feeling.
A knock sounded from her door making Kagura to jump. "Um… hello?"
Tae's muffled voice came through. "Oh, Kagura-chan, so sorry if I woke you up but just wanted to let you know both Shin-kun and I will be out today for family stuff."
Kagura scrambled to get out of the bed to answer the door and acknowledge her landlady. Peeling the door open, she bent her head in greeting, avoiding Tae's eyes. "Hi!... Good morning, Tae-san… is there any thing you want me to do in your absence?" Kagura asked after she lifted her head to look at Tae fully.
Tae beamed at her brightly, obviously aware of the wild bird's nest that had become Kagura's red hair from a night of fitful sleep. She waved a hand in disregard. "No, no, just wanted to let you know in case you were worried about what happened to my brother and me. I know your phone probably still doesn't have coverage here yet."
Kagura nodded slowly, unsure what else to ask or add to the conversation.
"Well," Tae exclaimed, solving Kagura's current predicament for her. "We best be off now. Hope you have a good day, Kagura-chan." She added with a smile, waving as she retreated down the stairs.
.
It was nearing early evening when Kagura realized that because the Shimura siblings were out of the house (still), that she was on her own for dinner. Not feeling up to whip together some semblance of a meal, she took to the streets.
Since it was growing darker by the minute, Kabukicho had become alive, the neon shopfront lights flickering on promoting clubs and places where one wanted to relax and forget about their day for at least a moment.
In an abstract kind of way, Kagura actually liked the neon lights and the bustle of random passersby as they hurried to whatever fantasy or whim called to them. It promoted a feeling of isolation that was somewhat comforting, as she figured most of the people she passed by probably also had a similar preconception about their surroundings. It was not the lonely isolation one gets from stepping away from the noise of life.
One shop off the main street beckoned with its distinct lack of neon lights or flashy signage. If anything, it resembled most a shop one would find in the countryside. Kagura slipped in, parting the half curtains and walking into a warm but clearly beat down establishment. There was a long booth that curved around the kitchen where a trio of cooks were hard at work completing orders. One of them shouted a welcome to Kagura and ordered her to take one of the few free seats at the decently crowded bar.
A blonde woman, one of the three cooking, came up to Kagura as she tried to decide on a dish to order. "First time?" Kagura's head bobbed in reply. "Heh, I figured, most of our customers have been coming for years, its easy to see a newbie… Anyways, I'm Ikumatsu, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. The other cooks," she gestured with a thumb behind her, "would definitely leave you to the sharks. Is there anything I can get you started with?"
Kagura perused the menu behind Ikumatsu's head. "Could I get the shoyu pork ramen with thin broth?"
Ikumatsu smiled knowingly. "How do you want your noodles?
"Extra firm please."
"Of course." And Ikumatsu turned on her heels and began preparing Kagura's order.
From Kagura's left, a shaggy man with silver hair turned to look at her in shock. "Oi, how do you know what the best menu item is?"
Kagura jumped in fright and turned to face the man who did not look as old as his hair would have one believe. He also eerily looked familiar but Kagura could not place where she would have seen him before. "I beg your pardon?"
"The best item on the menu. It's like a cult secret… only folks who've been coming for years know the right ratios."
Kagura let out a shaky laugh. "Oh… ahaha… I see."