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“You seem distracted.”
Three words, one sentence. It was enough to make her turn to on her left side and glare at the person whom she had dared to share her futon with for the past three years. Their relationship was ambiguous at best, and probably would not escalate into something more, but when feelings and loneliness get into the equation…
… Perhaps she could call it ‘fondness’?
She hardly had any time for romance, seeing that Edo was in shambles, the Amanto have abandoned them, Gin-chan was dead, every criminal was out and about, and…
She and Shinpachi were not exactly in good terms.
Her older brother, sometimes bordering to a mother and a father to her whenever he had to, wanted her dead more than anything. If it wasn’t for that new guy who stop them earlier, they would’ve probably killed each other right then and there. It had been months since they last saw one another, yet the first thing they did was fight.
“Oh, am I?” she tried to feign innocence, but Kagura knew he would be able to know that she was lying through her teeth straight away.
“You’re staring at the ceiling. More often than not, you’d cling to me post-sex, but this time around, seems like something has caught your attention.” If she paid more attention to it, she would probably be able to detect just a hint of jealously in his tone, but her mind was more troubled than usual, and had been unable to notice.
“It’s just that…” she sighed, not knowing where to start.
“Tell me, China.” He muttered, using her old nickname to coax her into talking. For added measure, he began to lick her neck slowly, which made her shiver in delight. “Go on.”
“Well… some new guy appeared…” she gave out a breathy response as he placed one of his rough, callused hand on her left breast, running his thumb over the pleasure spot. “… Shinpachi and I… we were ready to kill one another—”
“Megane knows he can’t beat you.” She flushed at the pride evident in his tone, but knew he was throwing out empty compliments just to boost her ego. Sadist, despite his pretty face, was not exactly the most honest person out there “What about that new guy anyway?”
“Well, that freak was cosplaying Gin-chan… and stopped me and Shinpachi from killing one another.” She moaned when he replaced the thumb with his mouth, and for a moment, she nearly forgot what she was about to say. “He seems very suspicious…” she trailed off as her mind registered the pleasure her body was experiencing.
“That’s it?” Okita asked before roughly licking her other breast, his right hand on her left breast while the other was on her thigh, making its way to the place where she also ached. “I don’t think you need to worry about anything.”
“It’s something to worry about!” she insisted. “Sadaharu doesn’t view him as a threat, for some reason, but everything about him seems shady—” before she could continue, he had cut her off, pressing his lips against her own, slipping his tongue inside her mouth.
It was the kiss that made her forget everything entirely.
It was the kiss that he gave her that made her forget all of her worries, her fears, her sadness, but most of all…
It was the kiss that she uses to fool herself into thinking that he, too, wanted this physical relationship as much as she did, and that he reciprocated her feelings. It was far-flung, that line of thought, for it was obvious that both of them used this to mask all of the hurt they felt at the situation right now.
She lost her beloved father figure, the only one who held the Yorozuya together when crises loomed over their heads.
He lost his mentor because Kondo Isao could sometimes be an idiot and go overboard with his stalker ways, but to get caught in Joui affairs was enough to send him to prison.
Edo was in ruins, they had been abandoned, they were both alone…
… and right now, at this very moment, all they had was each other.
Them, all alone, in an abandoned cottage in the outskirts of Edo, away from the destruction, the mess, the illness that permeated in the air… their, she blushed at the thought, their secret… hideaway spot. A… love nest, perhaps?
… Or maybe she shouldn’t overthink all of it too much.
At least she could delude herself for a few hours with that scenario in mind, just the two of them, sharing both the house and the futon.
How and when did she start to have romantic feelings for him anyway?
Him, the former Shinsengumi captain of the First Division, now known as Hitokiri Okita [1], a ruthless assassin?
It was amazing how them, former rivals, managed to find comfort with one another. He himself had been through a lot, though not as bad as her. Emotionally, she had been dead on the day Sakata Gintoki died, but as much as she wanted to die as well, the female Yato knew Gin-chan would never forgive her. With that, for the past two years, she had struggled to keep herself alive, forcing herself to eat when she had to. Sadaharu has helped her in his own little way, always with her, always accompanying her, always making sure she wouldn’t do anything to hurt herself...
Enter the sadist.
He didn’t torment her as much after what happened, though she was aware that he also kept a close eye on her in his own way. When chaos had spread further throughout Edo, everyone got caught up in the mess. Most have fled to Kyoto; others who were not so lucky had been killed. All of the Amanto had fled and abandoned them, and her, Shinpachi, Sadaharu, and the Shinsengumi had fought their way for control of the city as the criminals broke free and wreaked havoc in the place she called ‘home’.
They failed.
It would take a year and a half before she would see him again, though it was obvious that he, too, had changed.
At first glance, it was hard to imagine that he, the epitome of a Shinsengumi officer, looked like a rogue now: his hair style had changed, and was now tied in a high ponytail. The Western look was gone, replaced by a traditional outfit that consisted of a red uwagi (perhaps to conceal the blood that splashed on him when he killed criminals?), a gray-colored pair of hakama, and the traditional zouri. A beige-colored scarf was around his neck, and when it dawned on her that he looked like someone she had seen, she asked him the question that was on her mind.
“… Are you cosplaying Himura Kenshin?” [2]
His response was immediate. “Idiot, why the hell would I imitate that guy, whoever he is?”
“ ‘Cause I just heard some people screaming that ‘Hitokiri Okita’ while they were running away from you. Waddya have to say to that, sadist?”
His only reply to her was a smirk.
She couldn’t remember when they started this, only how and why she had consented to sharing her futon with him. On the night she had slept with him, she had a bad day because of an earlier encounter with Shinpachi.
It was not difficult to miss the dark look in his eyes and angry glare he gave her when he saw her walking about the now-ruined city of Edo. For half a year, she had avoided that place, deciding to live her life wandering around the country with both the sadist (or rather, the assassin) and Sadaharu, suppressing the threats that they came across to. They had agreed to go to Edo on that day, just to see how everyone was faring, and when they encountered Shinpachi…
“The hell are you doing here?”
The comical tsukkomi had now become a man. Taller, meaner, and with his look shifting to a non-traditional one, it was evident that he, too, had changed.
A change for the worse, it seemed, for he kept glaring at her.
“None of your business, Shinpachi.” She spat out. “Get out of my way.”
“Gladly. I have no time to deal with you.” And with that, he went on his way, walking past her with so much as a glance, and off to the direction of the Ooedo hospital. Why he was going there, she was not sure, but fact remains that he was still hating her had hurt so much. As soon as she knew he was out of earshot, she broke down right then and there, her body crumpling straight to the ground as she finally released all of the pent-up emotions she had been keeping inside of her.
Her ‘brother’, her only family, the only one besides Gin-chan who cared so much for her…
Shimura Shinpachi still hates her.
“Calm down.” was the only thing Okita kept telling her as soon as he crouched down to awkwardly pat her on the back. “It’s… gonna fix itself. Eventually.” Even he sounded so unsure of the situation. It was unheard of, the Yorozuya members quarrelling for an extended period of time… and, if he heard right, it had been a fight that had been going on for two years.
“Okita.” She said in-between her sobs, wiping her tears with her left arm, snot and tears staining her arm-length black gloves.
“What?” before he could move, she had grabbed him by his tomoeri and gave him a kiss on the lips, lasting only a few seconds before she let him go. “… If you did that just to calm down—”
“Sleep with me.”
“W-what?!” his handsome face was etched with pure shock at the way she boldly declared her intention.
“This is gonna be cliché but… I want to forget that stupid thing earlier… and just about every crap that came my way.” She mumbled.
“I am not gonna be your sex toy. I have standards, you dumbass, and that doesn’t include you.” He told her harshly. “I’d rather sleep with a courtesan.”
“If you can afford their fees.” She smirked.
“Oh, I can.” He informed her. “It’s just too bad we’re not in Shimabara [3] right now; I would’ve enjoyed it there rather than here.”
“Fine! If you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else! Let’s go, Sadaharu!” before he could say anything, she hopped on her huge pet’s back and sprinted away, ignoring the angry calls of Okita Sougo.
How he managed to find her at the old Yorozuya office was still a mystery to her until this day. Just when she was about to take a bath (after hours of cleaning the dusty place, had it really been that long?), a knock was heard from the door. Her blood had turned cold at the possibility of Shinpachi visiting the office this late at night and braced herself for the blood bath. As soon as she had opened the door however, all she saw was a flash of beige, and, before she realized it, found herself pinned against the doorway of her old home.
“China.” He breathed out as soon as he pulled away, pulling down the white robe she was currently wearing.
“Y-You… w-wait…!” she squealed, pulling up her yukata. “I-I…”
“What, not ready? Thought you were.” He said sarcastically.
“N-No… I-I was about to take a bath…” she muttered.
“Good idea. Let’s go together.” Before she could protest, he had pushed her to the direction of the bathroom. In the changing room, he stripped her naked, kissing every inch of her porcelain skin, his tongue running down from her neck, to her torso, and then, to her sex…
To Kagura’s utter embarrassment, now that she thought about it, they haven’t even started their bath yet!
He had made her sit on the counter, a place she was rather familiar with as she used it to toss her dirty clothes and let it lie there until Shinpachi would tsk and take it away to be laundered, but now…
She blushed when he himself began stripping as well, and her eyes did not miss his erection. When he was just as naked as her, a smirk tugged on his lips. “Why don’t you return the favor, China? Take responsibility for what you just did to me.”
“… Maybe I should.” Her right hand made its way to the back of his head and let his hair loose, tugging on the band that held it together.
Needless to say, that night was her first time sleeping with someone.
Gin-chan had told her only to do such a thing when they, meaning him, Shinpachi, and anego, have approved of someone who was worthy of her, but promises were meant to be broken. She was eternally broken already; what did she have to lose, save for her supposed precious ‘first time’?
Might as well get it over and done with.
She had nothing left anyway; she was better off losing everything that she had, bit by bit, before she could finally say that she had fulfilled everything in her life and just retire from everything.
“Distracted again? Tsk, am I boring you that much?” came the familiar monotone that she grudgingly found to be soothing.
She shook her head. “Sorry. I was just… reminiscing.”
“About?”
“T-the first time we… y-you know.” She said, unable to say the words (strange, she could say it to herself, but never out loud), expecting him to laugh at her face. Instead, an odd glint made its way in his eyes and gave her a smirk so feral that she felt her heart beat like crazy. “W-what’s with that look—”
“Don’t fight me. You hear?”
He said it.
Her eyes widened at both the words and the lust-crazed look in his eyes. Those words had carried a lot of meaning between them, as it had been some sort of code between them to mean that she would let herself go, let loose, and let him do whatever he wanted to her and her body. What was amusing was that during the times she and him did this physical act, somehow, her superhuman strength would desert her and leave her helpless under his touch. It was unexplainable, that temporary loss of strength during their lovemaking, but Kagura guessed that her body trusts him during her weakest moments, and would let her guard down.
… At least it saved her from accidentally throwing him across the room when things got too hot and heavy.
“F-fine. I-It’s not like I wanted this anyway—” she stopped in the middle of her tsundere [4] rant as soon as she felt him enter her forcefully. A moan automatically escaped her lips in response, and to shush her, he pressed his mouth against her again, forcing his mouth inside her mouth. Okita thrusts his hips against her own, slowly for now, and she knew he was teasing her, prolonging her agony until her body couldn’t handle it anymore and just gave in to him. As always, he uses his both his hands to pin down her wrists above her head, and that was when she would always lose the innate physical strength that her race is known for, as she was distracted by both his thrusts and kisses. When Okita runs out of breath and pulls away, he would stare at her with his trademark crimson-colored irises filled with both lust and fire that always made her shiver in delight. It was as if he was planning something dirty (which he always does), and Kagura wondered what would have been her life if Gin-chan had not died, and everything stayed the way it was.
Would she… be able to experience something like this?
Maybe not. “Daddy” Gintoki and “Daddy” Shinpachi would never ever approve of her having any romantic relationships with just about anyone ever since that Giants event in her life. She could fight Okita all she wanted, but it would never end in bed.
… Or maybe they wouldn’t care, with Gin-chan always sitting on his ass, picking his nose, or reading his Weekly Shonen JUMP, and Shinpachi too engrossed with either his Otsuu singles or anything about the pop idol, that stupid cherry boy.
She wouldn’t really know the truth anyway. All she could do was speculate, and even then, she wouldn’t be able to know how it would all play out.
Sakata Gintoki is dead, a succession crisis to the Yorozuya name was currently on-going, and she was emotionally dead…
… Emotionally dead unless she was with Okita Sougo, the only one who could manage to make her feel.
Guess Papi is right. Love starts in a bed [5]… or in my case, a futon.
She sighed in disbelief at the realization, wondering what she should do with this budding feelings that she had for him.
There was always the option of leaving him but…
“What’s with the tears?” he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She didn’t realize that she had started crying right then and there over the thought of her leaving him… or vice-versa.
She shook her hand and proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck, not wanting him to see her crying. “Continue.”
“But—” to make him shut up, she pulled a handful of sandy-colored hair and tugged on it. “Oww!”
“Shut up and continue!” she forced the demand from her lips, but it was a better option than let him see her teary-eyed and snot-faced for the second time.
He had seen all of her, her good sides, her bad sides…
… but she would never let him see her cry again for the second time.
Never.
He had started his thrusts once again, and Kagura screamed as he fastened his pace this time around. Using her right foot, she had curled it against his left thigh, wanting him to be close, wanting him to be as deep inside her as possible as she felt her walls squeeze him tight. It was embarrassing, really, that as soon as he started again, she had already reached her limit. She concluded that he, Hitokiri Okita, really was a dangerous person both in the battlefield and in the bedroom. How was it even possible for him to haunt her every waking and dreaming moment? Had she been that lonely?
Or…
… was that the extent of his influence on her?
If it was, she found it frightening… yet oddly, the effect of it was the opposite: it calmed her. Was it because she knew if it was him, she had nothing to worry about?
This is… so confusing.
A pressure was building once more on her lower half, and to her surprise, Okita had used one of his hands to sneakily make its way down between her legs, stroking her intimately. This, combined with his skilful stimulation, was enough for her to let go of his head and grip on the sheets, moaning loudly as she felt herself clasp him between her legs as she reached her peak. The sadist, she knew, would pull away from her and pull out at the same time he would ejaculate, his seed usually spilling on her belly, or sometimes, on her breasts, when she would ask him to. This time around, she wanted to feel him more, to experience him orgasm inside her, to know how it was like when a male spilled his seed inside of her.
“China, let go.” He growled. It was evident that he too was at his peak. “I shouldn’t—”
“No. I’m not letting go.”
She found it handy that her monstrous strength was back, and try as he might, Okita Sougo had no choice but to come inside her. It was worth it though; Okita glared at her in anger, but in the end, she won. It was… odd, to be honest, but the warm feeling of his come inside her when he reached his limit made her smile inwardly.
She rather liked the feeling.
“… Do you have any idea what you’ve just done—”
“Shush. I’m sleepy.” She sat up to give him a peck on the lips. “I need to get up early tomorrow. Good night.” And with that, Kagura turned on her side, pulled up the blanket attached to the futon, and was fast asleep.
For the first time in five years, she slept with a smile on her face.
Kagura woke up to see him getting dressed.
“… You’re off so early.” She said, masking her disappointment at him suddenly leaving the futon. No wonder she woke up slightly cold.
“Slipped my mind that I was supposed to be off somewhere.” He told her. “Kondo-san… he’s going to be executed today.”
She felt her blood turn cold at the thought of the gorilla being beheaded in front of everyone. “W-what…?!”
“Not only him, but even Katsura and that old man.”
“T-the old geezer…” she gasped.
“He’s been a wanted criminal ever since that festival stunt he did, remember? [6] Too bad he just had to get drunk and get caught.” Sougo shrugged. “Then that Katsura got involved, and then… Kondo-san.” At this, he sighed, remember that Kondo Isao had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At this, Kagura made a beeline for her undergarments and her dress. “Damn it, I’m late. Forgot that the weird guy forced me and Shinpachi to help him look for the old man.” At this, she snorted. “It sucks that the geezer’s gonna get executed today… that guy would’ve been out of my hands already.”
“Not if I can help it.” Sougo declared, grabbing his scarf from the tatami. “I’m saving Kondo-san, obviously.”
“And… how are you gonna do that all by yourself? Look at what happened when you attempted to stand your ground so Kirie and I could escape— [7]” she had been unable to finish her sentence as he gave her a hard look.
“China, use your brain. You’re gonna help me out, whether you like it or not.” He shrugged. “Think of it as a way for making it up to me, especially since I told you to let go, but the stubborn person in you ignored me.”
What got him so worked up? Shaking her head, she nodded in agreement.
“… Fine then. I’ll distract them.” In her own little way, she would do what he asks of her, and he, in turn, would save gorilla, and maybe even Zura and the old man too. She hoped he would. “Better make sure you do it properly, Hitokiri Okita, or I’ll have your head.”
“Which head?” he dodged a kick that she threw his way. “As long as you distract them long enough, leave it to me.”
“Fine. Then I’m going.” Tying the yellow sash around her waist, she picked up the familiar hair ornament on the mat, braided a portion of her vermillion-colored hair on the right side of her head, twisted it into a bun, and locked it in place using the curved ornament.
“I still don’t understand why you insist on only wearing one.” He commented after she was done fixing her hair and was now in the process of putting on her gloves.
“… I will not wear my old pair until the day the Yorozuya reunites.” She snorted at her own foolishness, cringing even at her naivety. “Sounds stupid, and even impossible, but… I just… have a feeling that someday, I will eventually wear it again.”
At this, he nodded, not sure why he believed her despite the odds of danna suddenly appearing before all of them when he was dead. “I’m sure.” In all honesty, he did want to believe that she would be able to wear those trademark hair ornaments again, or rather, those penis cups.
He wanted the old China back.
He wanted his old rival to smile again.
He wanted her to be at ease.
He wanted the person he cared for for the past five years be back to her old annoying self who got angry at any comment he made.
He shook his head from further thoughts. “I’ll get going now. Remember what I told you.”
“Yes, I’ll distract them. Just do your own thing.” She said, not looking up at him as she was too busy putting on her socks and boots to see him off.
“See you later then.”
And with that, he headed off to the direction of the Edo River before heading off to his destination, the execution grounds on the river bank. He knew that place well, as it had been a memorable location where Kondo Isao and the Yorozuya boss had their match to see who was worthy of anego [8]. He snorted at the memory, remember how their leader had been reduced to a laughingstock of the townspeople as the Yorozuya boss, as expected, cheated his way to victory.
As much as he wanted to reminisce right now, it was not the appropriate time to do so. Kondo-san was to be executed, and he had to make it in time. Also, he had to trust China to do her role perfect as not to ruin the plan he had been concocting ever since he heard of the news that the former commander of the Shinsengumi was to be publicly executed for crimes against the Bakufu. The accusations were ridiculous, but the evidence did not lie; it was just unfortunate that the timing had been… unfortunate.
For now, he would concentrate on the mission at hand.
But first, a cold swim in the Edo River was in order.
It was difficult to fight a group Bakufu officers with a throbbing erection, after all.