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One sunday evening, Kagura comes to him and proposes a plan. She wants to see space again, she said. See what she can find out there now that the world is not a day away from destruction. She wants to show Sadaharu everything she discovered while searching for a cure for him. There's so much to see, so much to do. She needs to see it.
Gintoki agrees easily. If that's what she wants to do, he will agree. Always. Who is he to deny her?
Because it's not the same as when he stopped her from going with Umibozu, where she kicked and cried and got so confused. She has grown into someone capable and good, more than he could ever imagine. He didn't stop her from trying to help Sadaharu back then, so why stop her now when she's doing it because she feels like she has so much to see and do?
She talked to Shinpachi too, she said. After some convincing and fifty “Are you sure?” questions, he told her to ask Gin-san. Shinpachi will agree to what Gin-chan says, she said.
For the second time, Gintoki agrees, she can go do whatever she wants.
She then said she asked Otose. She said the old woman said to do whatever makes her happy, and to ask Gin-chan, too. Again, for the third time, Gintoki agrees. Seems like he's the final voice in this, so he agrees. She should go if she wants to.
But she also talked to Otae, where she said that it's going to be good for her. She could discover so many new things and bring back the good things here and make it better, but she also said to ask—
“Yeah yeah, she said to ask me first, right? Bla bla bla. You know I already agreed with you, right? You should go if you want to.”
Kagura stays silent for a while. “I also asked… Papi about it.” Not unexpected, but surprising enough that Gintoki raises an eyebrow, “Sure. He must've been happy. He didn't force you or anything, right?”
“No, I called him asking about the decision. He even told me to ask you first.”
Gintoki snorts at that. Kinda unbelievable, but okay.
“But he was excited, yes. Said that he’ll come pick me up and we can… travel together, for a while. Until I settle on a nice plan. Said we can even visit Mami’s planet together.”
“Well, didnt you always want to go there?”
“Yeah.”
God. Gintoki is going to get a headache. This is going nowhere. “So what's holding you back then? Clearly everythings going your way?”
“It's just…” She walks to the other side of the room. “I've never… want to go to space. It was always a job.”
“Well, first time for everything, right? You wanted it now, and you can do it. It's good.”
“Yeah but what if…” she trails off. “What if… what if I'm not me anymore?”
“What do you even mean?”
“Well I'll be somewhere else and I won't be the Yorozuya anymore and i'll be doing something else but I like being the Yorozuya! So what if, if I do something else I'll… not be me anymore? Because I'm not gonna do something I know I like! What if it turns out I like doing it?”
Gintoki stares at her. She's rambling, now. Pacing the room like there's a thousand nerves in her that needs to be sated. So he tells her to sit down. She did, still shaking her leg, still fiddling her thumbs.
“But you will change, won't you?”
Kagura’s eyes snap open and look at him weirdly, was this old man not listening? “ That's exactly what i don't want to hap—“
“But you will.” Gintoki cuts. “You have, too. And after that you're still you. Those changes… like the Yorozuya, or going to earth, changed you and is a part of who you are now. Before that, you were also Kagura, right?”
“But… What if I change too much? What if I'll be so far from who I am now?”
Gintoki scoffs, “I had a teacher who's actually a world-crushing non-human and two friends that grew into terrorists.Theyre still who they are to me, now. You think I'll turn away because of some change?”
Putting his hand over the little girl’s head, Gintoki stares at her squarely. “No matter where you are, what you'll be or what you'll do or what you’ll like, you will always be Kagura.”
Kagura never looks at Gin-chan’s eyes too much. It's weird and gross to look at him up close, he has never been that handsome to her. But now, the coldness is gone and it looks alive. So sure and somehow full of trust and affection and something else she can't name (It’s love, when she thinks about it again at night, far away in space. He loves her.) Like this, she really can't help but believe him. Like she always has, like she always will.
“And you're… okay with me leaving, Gin-chan?” This question weighs more than all her previous questions and proposals. She’s not asking for permission, now. Nor is it asked out of fear. Her eyes, so big and young but so much more mature now, searches for something in him.
“Well, I'll wait for you to visit.”
He leans back again picking his nose like he's just talking about going to the pachinko parlour with Hasegawa. “Besides, the Yorozuya never closes. Not while I'm still here. You go and be whatever you want.”
I'll always be here to welcome you again.
She then left seeming satisfied in what she sees.
“Okay that's it. Why the fuck have you been all mopey today?” Hijikata sighs. “I'm literally on break spending it with you, that's what usually makes you all slimy and down, right? When I'm working my ass off like a good civilian?”
Gintoki turns his head and pouts, “So full of yourself! It literally has nothing to do with you!”
“So what is it? It's not fun to spend time with someone who just sighs every two seconds.”
“Rude! Your boyfriend is sad and you act like that!”
“Im literally going to pun—“
“Okay okay fine! I should report you for domestic violence, jeez. Its just… Kagura hasn't called me once since she left.”
Hijikata snorts at that, “Oh, Mama bird misses his grown, out of the nest chick? How cute.”
“You're literally so annoying! I'm never telling you anything again!”
Right before another spat starts, Shinpachi walks in. “Why are you guys so loud in the morning?!”
The two men snap their heads to the door, and Hijikata yells first before bursting into laughter, “Gintoki misses the china girl like a sad old man.” Gintoki's face turns red.
Before Gintoki can strike back with anything, Shinpachi comes in with a confused yell, “Gin-san what do you mean?! Kagura literally just called me yesterday and said you're not picking up any of her calls!”
“What? I never got anything!”
Shinpachi starts searching the room, “Where's your phone gin-san?”
“Ha? I don't know! I never use it!”
Shinpachi shrieks, “Wha– that's literally why you never received anything! You don't even look at your phone!”
“Gin-san is old! He doesn't use mobile phones! Just tell her to call the Yorozuya line!”
Shinpachi sighs tiredly, “She can't do that, your phone line doesn't reach outer space, Gin-san. You need to find your phone if you want to talk to her.” He starts dumping every possible surface Gintoki could have left his phone on.
They find it, an hour later, in what used to be Sadaharu’s treasure hiding spot. It smells a little bit like piss and fish, but they found other missing items like Shinpachi’s earphones and one of Kagura’s slippers. Nice to know the dog thinks of them as his territory, but he really does not appreciate it. After it charged for a while, Gintoki finally learned how to call to another planet.
“Hello? Gin-chan? Can you hear me?” Behind the static noises, a high-pitched, oh-so-familiar voice is heard.
“Kagura!”
“Gin-chan! Why did none of my texts get to you?! Do you hate me now? You promised you'd wa—“
Before they can fight and ruin the moment, Hijikata saves them both. Like he always does. “This old man lost his phone and needed to be taught how to use it, China.”
“Tooshi!! I missed you!”
“Hi, kid. How's travelling going for you?”
They chatter around like usual, like she never left. At last, Gintoki feels whole again, hearing her voice well and happy. He kinda gets Hinowa now, with how she coddles and worries for Seita. Can't be helped, he guesses. (He also misses seeing Hijikata interact with Kagura. He always knew the black haired man had a soft spot for the girl. But that's another story, where he discovers something else entirely.)