Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Summer

Her soft shoes barely made a sound on the pathway that narrowed around the river before looping over to the park. In the trees, cicadas sang the sound of summer. High above her head, the yellow star hung in the sky, shining light and warmth down on the planet below. It was only fair that the life source for the entire planet happened to be her singular weakness.

Kagura twirled the handle of her parasol on her shoulder, a stick of pickled seaweed dangling between her lips.

When the path widened again and the trees opened up, she strolled through the park toward her bench, unsurprised to find him lounging there. Red sleep mask concealing his eyes, hair made a shade lighter from the loathsome sun.

He didn’t flinch with the crack of thunder mere inches from his ear. A purple umbrella stopped just shy of his temple. When he raised the mask a fraction, China’s soft shoes were all he could see. He almost smiled.

“Oi,” the haughty timbre of her voice was nearly as bright as the sunshine. “What do you want, Sadist?”

He moved the sleep mask to the top of his head and gazed lazily at her, expression deadpan. “ You approached me. ”

Her brows narrowed. “You’re on my bench.”

“This bench is government property, China-girl.”

The umbrella moved to smack his cheek, but he dodged it. Her glare made his skin prickle with excitement. He wasn’t sure why, exactly, but it was always like this. She’d try to break his rib or stamp his foot or peel the skin of his cheek from his bone, and he’d feel more alive than he’d ever felt before.

And it was the same as it always was with her. A couple of insults volleyed back and forth with the ease of a conversation about the weather. The battle of words would turn into one of fists. They’d fight in the summer sun until they were both too weak to move and they were strewn across the stretch of green grass--panting and bruised beneath the shade of a park tree. Her chest heaving, cheeks red. A sheen of sweat coating her brow and a little smile playing across her lips.

When she turned to look at him, the sunlight lit his hair reminding her a bit of honey toast.

Kagura sat up, quickly. Her stomach twisted, her hands finding purchase in the grass. And for some reason, she couldn’t quite tear her eyes from the Sadist resting beside her.

She liked fighting him. He was almost her equal in strength; he got her sense of humor. It wasn’t any more complicated than that.

Surely.

………

It was raining. The steady sort of rainfall that sunk all the way to her bones.

Plum rain , Anego once called it. But that brought on the thought of plum pudding and her stomach rumbled so violently her hands clutched either side of her waist.

“Tch. So weak,” the sadist sighed at her side. Kagura swiped at his ankles and watched in satisfaction as he dodged the blow, albeit unsteadily.

Her nose tipped into the air, rain heavying her hair and plastering her cheeks. “You’re losing your touch.”

“I’m not losing anything.” Even as he said it, his skin tingled. The sensation… He hadn’t felt much for too long. Everything had been grey for most of his existence. Torturing Hijikata was the only thing he found pleasure in. But then she’d shown up--a vibrant streak of sunlight and fire. Raging. Strong. Foul.

Being near her made his skin prickle. And fighting with her was near the top of the impossibly short list of things that brought him joy. But being allies... whether it be torturing Madao at a shooting gallery so many years ago or fighting the Naraku forces. Ever since, being at her side was something he hadn’t quite managed to give up.

And when she’d left the planet, it was dark again. When she came back, it was like the sun had returned. The raging, strong, foul sun.

She stood before him still--clothes plastered to her slim frame, the rain pouring down her bright hair and clinging like mosquitos to her pale features. Okita frowned.

“Where’s your umbrella?”

With clenched teeth, she opened her umbrella. Oh.

“Some asshole shot a hole through it with a bazooka.”

He smirked. Oh. And because she’s an infuriating idiot, she moved the umbrella above her head and the rain pummeled through the gap and continued to drench her hair.

Something tugged at his lips, but he can’t smile because first he’s got to dodge the umbrella swinging his way.

“I hate you, Sadist.”

He didn’t say it back because it wasn’t exactly true.

Chapter Text

The red lights of the Kabuki district gleamed in his hair.

“It kind of matches your eyes,” the girl said, brushing his arm and giggling. She smelled like expensive champagne and trouble. And she’s pretty. Sougo squinted. Probably--it was hard to tell.  If he drank enough, he’d probably think Hijikata was pretty. He snorted and kept walking, following the boisterous party headed by Kondou shouting that it was his birthday.

They settled around a table at another club and someone ordered a round of drinks. After a few minutes he manages to shake the girl he hadn’t bothered remembering the name of, and she moved on with a pout to the next unsuspecting officer.

“Not your type?” Kondou asked, a single brow lifting in question.

“She isn’t a masochist with no soul, so no,” Hijikata replied into his full cup of saké .

The men around him break into a chorus of laughter and Sougo stared at them, unblinking. If he weren’t so drunk he’d bother committing to memory the names and faces of each member of the Shinsengumi laughing at his expense and take it out on them the next day.

“There isn’t a girl on this earth who’d be his type,” someone chimed in, and Sougo stills.

On this earth, maybe. From this earth, doubtful.

There was one girl who could keep up with him. Who could match him blow for blow. Who could insult him and hold her own. Who could match his sense of humor. Who could…

From the corner of the cabaret club there’s a crash and a curse and a thump.

He looked over anyway, but he wasn’t quite sure why he bothered to. No one else in existence could storm into a classy establishment and make such a ruckus.

Gintoki was shouting something about Gorillas taking the best seats, and Kagura’s eyes widened as they land on him.

“Oi. China-girl.” A slow, easy smirk slinked across his features as her pink lips pressed into a scowl. “What’re you doing in this part of town at this time of night?”

“Hmph.” She composed herself and stuck her nose high in the air, slim arms folding across her chest. “I’d ask the same of you, but you reek of saké so it’s kind of obvious, yes?”

He smirked. “At least I’m old enough to drink.”

“I can’t drink ‘cause I’m working, Sadist.”

“Hasn’t stopped Boss.”

There’s a commotion around him. Some shuffling and chatter, Danna yelled, but all Sougo could focus on is her . Her bright eyes slanted by a puckered brow, her pale skin and vermillion hair. It’s the same whenever she’s present. He should be looking elsewhere, but all he can seem to focus on is her.

One of the ladies working cleared her throat to get their attention. During their exchange, they’d somehow gotten close and it’s only then that they both realize it. In retaliation, China-girl presses the heel of her hand against his forehead and pushes--hard.

He smirked. She might have monster strength, but he was taller. Reaching a long arm out, he pushed against her own forehead and she barely stumbled back.

“Huh. You drunk, Sadist?”

“Tch. No.” Very.

One of the hostesses cleared her throat, and they both whip their attention in her direction.

“Everyone’s left…” Her eyes were wide with fear, her slim frame shaking in her yukata. “Am I to assume I’m leaving the check with you?”

Okita grunted. “No. Put it on Hijikata’s tab.”

“O-Okay,” the woman replied, nodding as quickly as she fled across the room. Kagura tapped her foot anxiously, her arms crossed and her lips pressed into a firm line.

“Want anything to drink, China? You should pick the most expensive thing on the menu. Hijikata’s paying, after all.”

“No.” And though her tone was sharp, her composure lightened a fraction. Her blue eyes looked at him and he looked back into them--so wide and clear he could see his own rumpled reflection. “You’re drunk. Let’s get you home.”

“Taking me home, eh China?”

She rolled her eyes and walked out with him. Below their feet, a plethora of orange and red and brown leaves litter the damp sidewalks. Above their heads the trees shake away the last of their autumn coating. Red and orange--the colors of Autumn. The colors that reminded him of Kagura.

He only slumped against her once on the short trek back to the compound, and so he only has one chance to catch a whiff of her hair.

She smelled like strawberries.

And because he’s an idiot, he brushed his knuckles across her vermillion fringe.

Her eyes widened. “Why’d you do that?”

“‘Cause I wouldn’t do it tomorrow, when I’m sober.”

There’s a short pause, and then she asked, “Why not?”

His smile was violence, but Kagura can’t help but think there’s something sad in his smile. Lonely, maybe.

“Because, China. I’m a coward.”

And then he leaned forward and threw up on her shoes.

Twice.

Chapter Text

Kagura shivered. She’d grabbed for her warmest coat when Gin had sent her into the mountains for their latest search-and-rescue mission. She’d known it was going to be cold, but this was… Her teeth chattered inside her head and she tugged the flaps of her wool cap over her ears. This was downright miserable.

And as if things couldn’t get worse, she lifted her gaze to watch the Sadist appear out of the thicket of trees. His black jacket stark against the white snow.

“Sadist.”

“Oi, China. I don’t have time to play with Monster-girls right now.”

She shifted her weight, the snow crunching beneath her boots. “Are you searching for that missing girl?”

He inclined his head. “We’re the police, China. It’s our job. Don’t tell me you idiots were hired to look for her, too.”

Kagura grinned. “Guess they didn’t trust you filthy tax-robbers to do your job, yes?”

He grunted, and without sparing her another glance, kept walking through the trees. It was cold and she was feeling lonely, and so she followed after him. When the silence got to be too much, she said,

“ She probably just ran away. Did you see her husband? Total creep.”

The sadist chuckled and she felt her cheeks redden. It wasn’t good, what a laugh like that could do to her...

She hated him sometimes and had a crush on him other times. She considered him a friend most of the time and a rival at all times. She like fighting with him and against him and by his side. And at some point she’d come to know him better than most anyone. He became her counterpart in the Shinsengumi and, most of all, he kept barreling into her life again and again and again.

Wherever she looked, the evil Sadist would be there to insult her or beat her up or cheer her up.

She hadn’t needed her umbrella here in the mountains where the trees were so close that shade would be everywhere, but she missed the weight of it. Missed how she couldn’t get give him a proper throttle against the side of the head when he deserved it--which was nearly all the time. Definitely now when he was making her...feel...

Kagura swallowed, her gloved hands flexing at her sides, wishing she had something to hold onto because now she was teetering dangerously into liking him again. The way the cold flushed his cheeks, how some of the damp drops of snow clung to his hair. She wouldn’t notice his eyes or cheekbones or jawline, and certainly wouldn’t take any more time studying his stupid Bishounen features or broad shoulders or--

“Why are you growling, China?”

“Just the cold,” she managed, her teeth still chattering.

His eyes dropped from the top of her head to the tip of her boots and he grinned, then kept walking like she’d amused him. Like her pain brought him joy.

If she had her umbrella, she’d shoot him. Instead, she jabbed some of her hair back into the safety of her wool cap and kicked the snow with her toe.

When she took another step, she nearly ran into him. Kagura opened her mouth to yell at him for stopping so suddenly, but he dropped his coat over her shoulders before she could protest.

She looked up at him--when had he gotten so tall? --dewy snow fell around his face.

It was cold, but her face felt suddenly hot and she looked away.

Sougo chuckled, and she watched his retreating frame. His boot leaving prints in the snow.

When he wasn’t looking, she tightened his jacket around her. But only because it was cold and definitely not because it smelled spicy like hot sauce and gunpowder and Sadist.

“Wait up, you stupid arsehole!” she shouted. “It isn’t kind to leave a maiden alone in the woods!”

“I don’t see any maidens, only pigs. Keep up, China-girl or you’ll fall behind.”

Chapter Text

Spring

By the time she arrived, the festival was in full-swing. The park was mostly covered by trees, and since she’d had anego help fasted her bubblegum pink yukata and pin her hair, she’d left her umbrella at home. Kagura walked the length of sidewalk, licking an ice cream before it could melt and coat her fingers with sticky sugar.

It was only a matter of time before the space at her side was occupied. A tall, judgemental shadow loomed over her, and she cut a glare up to the smirking red eyes of the First Division Captain.

“Having a nice day, China?”

“I was until you showed up.”

He smirked, obviously pleased that he’d ruined her day, and didn’t make a move to leave her side.

Kagura stared at his profile and knew, handsome or funny and strong or not, she’d never been given a chance to fall for anyone else, really. He kept barreling into her life again and again to fight her, tease her, torture her, buy her food and fight her some more. There had never been anyone else. If she were being honest with herself, it was always just him for as long as she could remember.

“Are you blushing, China?”

“Tch. It’s just the sun.”

“Where’s your umbrella?” he asked, a single brow lifted in question. It was shady here, but she was certainly flushed...

“I left it at home ‘cause it didn’t go with my outfit.” She stretched her arms wide. “Don’t I look beautiful?”

“Eh. You can put lipstick on a pig…”

He dodged her punch, knuckles grazing his rib, and grinned at her--showing lots of teeth.

Her arms crossed firmly over her chest, Kagura scoffed, “I look beautiful. I’ve seen at least a half-dozen poor idiots checking me out. I’m going to probably snag one of them later to buy me dinner. Maybe another ice cream…”

Captain Okita Sougo frowned. Kagura was… She was… He squinted, struggling to find the words but everything felt lacking. She’d cheered him up when he was upset, sat with him in the quiet of the park content to just share the same air as him. She never held back, ready to snap his bones and draw his blood or insult him. And she saw through him, knew him to the core in a way that was terrifying. He didn’t like being exposed. He didn’t like much of anything, to be honest, but he liked her.

She was loud and foul and no one else would take her if he didn’t, really. A small, possessive part of him smiled at that, even if he knew it was lie, and he led her to the closest food stall to fill the bottomless pit that was her stomach before she could find someone else to do so.

He even shared an ice cream with her, pausing for a moment to watch as the cherry blossoms fell and stuck to her hair. Pink shouldn't have gone so well with the offensive shade of vermillion, but everything she did looked good to him at this point...

They walked from the food stall to the games--competing in any and everything they could get their hands on, leaving terror in their wake. Kagura bested him in the hammer strength competition, squealing in delight at the fat plushy dog she was awarded. Okita edged her out in the shooting game, and they called disc throwing a draw when Sougo pulled ahead and, in retaliation, Kagura picked him up by the shoulders ad threw him into the booth.

Another trip to the food stalls and Okita thanked his government pension and severe lack of hobbies, and then the sun set and gave the entire festival a magical glow.

The pair walked up a hill to watch the fireworks. His fingers brushed hers in the grass and they both pretended not to notice. When the first firework popped in the sky, Kagura’s lips parted in wonder.

Sougo usually loved fire and gunpowder and explosions, but that evening he found himself watching her. The reflection of firework in her eyes, the way the lights played off her pale skin.

And when the show was over, he kissed her on the mouth and she punched him in the gut.

When he caught his breath, Sougo cursed her and watched the way her eyes widened and her lips fumbled to find words.

Finally, she swallowed thickly and said, “Give a girl some warning, Sadist.”

“Okay.” Okita panted. Catching his breath, he straightened and smiled at her. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Kagura bit her lower lip, and waited. Her eyes slid closed and she waited a bit more before cracking open a single eye and frowning at him.

“Any day now. It isn’t nice to keep a girl waiting.”

“Tch. So impatient, China,” he laughed, before kissing her properly. The gunpowder lingered in the sky, and the feel of Kagura lingered on his skin. “I’ll walk you home now.”

Kagura looked at him shyly. “I’m not in a rush, if you have some time.”

He lay beside her in the grass and they stared at the sky. Somewhere at the base of the hill the festival was coming back to life as people moved about, carrying on their way, but he stayed in the grass beside Kagura and there was nowhere else he’d rather be.