#Hijimom

[akelyokikagu]

The Cursed II

The Cursed - Chapter II

A Sukonbu a day keeps a nightmare at bay

Kagura hated nightmares.

They always reminded her of the past, of the cold and never-ending rain drumming like a pitiful melody to accompany her own loneliness. Her mother had just died in front of her eyes, and she could only grasp the weakening hand, listen to the weak voice one last time before she was gone like the rest the farce of a family she had. Her kind older brother had forever changed to a monster and didn't even spare a glance back as he left the weakling burdening his quest to strength. Her father became even more absent than he already was— within a day he had lost both his wife and his son, and even for the strongest man in the universe there was only this much he could cope with.

Suddenly she became a reminiscent of the past and the family on this planet, everyone else had already gone to different path. The bond she thought strong was so easily broken in so much pieces that ten little fingers weren't enough to catch and glue them back, clumsily. The rain felt even lonelier, the house felt colder and the dinner was too much of a hassle to bear.

The silence gave her all the time to think, think and re-think: why didn't her family work out? Was it because they were Yatos? She decided to never, ever lose to her blood and instinct. Was it because she was weak? She strived to grow stronger. Or was it because…

Sometimes, Kagura thought with a bitter smile, there were questions better left unanswered.

Shinpachi's face was barely some inches away from the screen when Kagura forcefully grasped him by the collar before throwing him in the couch with Gintoki. While they were used to the teenager's antics, shadowing the TV was strictly forbidden within the Yorozuya: it was already small enough for them to need to squint their eyes in order to watch a show and there wasn't enough space for his head. "We're watching your stupid show already, stop being so annoying Patsuan."

"But this is the Otsu-chan special interview! As the chief of the fanclub I cannot miss it—"

"— no one is going to change of channel. Sit down and shut up, Patsuan."

"SHUT UP you two, I can't hear what she's saying!" Kagura elbowed both of them in their stomach, instantly calming the argument taking place.

The screen buzzed for second before a purple-haired girl appeared on screen, her cheeks visibly red after another concert. She had been getting popular lately, these days a lot of idols were scared to appear on scene because of the rumours, of the Sleeping Beauties but Otsu never abandoned her career and worked even harder to complete all the schedules other idols left. Kagura didn't understand why Shinpachi liked her songs about corn and poop so much, but she could at the very least for his admiration towards her.

"Our favorite Otsuu-chan is here, despite her tight schedule!" The female host grinned with all of her pearly teeth, "fans are worried about you, you do look tired!"

"I need to work harder— corn poop!— because that's an idol's job, right?" Otsu laughed and sat down, smiling at her fans that she knew, were all squealing for her. Like Shinpachi was, before Kagura jabbed him again for being too noisy.

"Let's start the interview then! Aren't you scared of the Sleeping Beauties?"

"Of course I am, but my fans are way more important! I don't feel tired or scared at all!"

"That's some energy you have," the MC patted her on the shoulders gently, like a good friend. "Otsu-chan, you have gotten shows with lot of male idols because of that, did you get a crush on someone?" She gave her a glance, something like a gossiping friend would do.

"Ehh?" The idol faked surprise, "I don't really like anyone, I put my fans before my love life."

"But surely you have a favorite?"

"Oh, yes, I do. My favorite is of course Ryuu-kun, I love his album Darling Darjeeli—"

Shinpachi's eyes widened as his whole body plunged forward to the poor machine, his glasses almost falling out when his hand reached the unanimated object.

Suddenly, the usual bubbling eyes of the idol turned dull and dark, before she fell straight onto the table of the host, who was screaming for help to the crew. The same words repeated like a mantra.

"She's a Sleeping Beauty! Otsuu-chan, wake up, wake up!" The emcee shook her shoulders but the idol wouldn't rouse from her sleep. "Call the ambulance! The police! You, cut this!"

The screen turned black, with some apologise scribbled by the production but it was too late.

"Otsu-chan!" Shinpachi cried out in front of the TV. "No, why did it happen to her, why did she have to be one of the victim?! She worked so hard to get here," a river of tears fell out of his eyes, "why did it happen?"

"Oi, oi, she's not dead."

"But we don't know if she'll ever wake up! They never woke up, Gin-san!" The silver perm sighed deeply before trotting to the boy, a calloused hand felling on top of Shinpachi's head, before messing up his dark hair.

"We'll find a way before you flood Edo, okay?"

"Gin-san…"

Kagura yawned, "this mood is too boy's love for me. We should go to the tax-robbers instead, maybe they know something after all the tax they've robbed from the good citizens."

"Wow, you're acting mature Kagura-chan, daddy is proud of you. Aren't you too, mommy?" Gintoki wiped a fake tear, a little smile stretched on his lips when the teenager had stopped sobbing like a mess and instead showed his usual, bright self. "That's better, I'll buy you some sukonbu today."

"Really? Kya—hoo, thank you Gin-chan!" The little girl in red jumped at Gintoki, climbing up the man like a koala would with an eucalyptus tree.

The Shinsengumi were solemnly silent, despite not caring for the idol in particular. They have failed their duties yet again as another victim had been announced to the already too long list.

"So, you look even shittier today, China." Okita decided to break the ice, but perhaps not in the good way. Kagura was already fuming at him, and would have probably broken a few ribs and his nose if it wasn't for her foster father grasping her.

"I promised you sukonbu today so don't try to fight with Souichiro-kun, Gin-chan already needs to buy us a new door."

"He started first!"

"I only stated the truth, you look like a panda with your dark circles, but without the cuteness." Sougo grinned, "what, you haven't been able to forget my beautiful face?"

"I'm having nightmares, maybe I do see your ugly face in my dreams! I need my beauty sleep!"

"Even if you became a Sleeping Beauty, you'd still be ugly. More like a piggy, do you drool too?"

Hijikata made a jab to Okita, praying the boy would stop infuriating further the very much dangerous Yato on the other side of the table. "That's not how you flirt," he coughed, "and we're not here to do that, anyway."

"Flirt? Have you gone mad Hijikata—"

"We've gone to the priestesses sisters and asked them about the incubus, and we have an idea but we'll need your help. We're making a trap."

"A trap?"

"Since ancient times, incubus liked to tempt the priestesses to mock them, so they managed to find a way to exorcize them. They drew sacred circles on the floor, and then gathered the fairest maidens of the villages, once the incubus was lured they would start the exorcism right away to expel it."

"I'm not lending you Kagura to lure out some blind lolicon—" Kagura blushed.

"No, not for that. We need her to guard the maidens."

"Ah, I thought so."

Okita laughed at Kagura's expression that went from blushing, almost cute face to one disintegrating into pure, unhinged anger towards the two men who so easily discarded her 'feminity', well, as much a geroine like her could manage in this area. He knew she was prideful, but had never seen her being feminine of all things.

"I'm a beautiful girl, you guys are just too old to see this."

"Yes, yes, and I pay Granny's rents every month."

"Is that true?" Hijikata asked, hopeful.

"Of course not, that's the point. Kagura attracts either lolicons or giants, maybe both."

"It's not true, I have mami's genes. Papi says I'm a pretty girl, too!"

"Parents always lie to their kids, you know? One day you'll become bald and there's only Gin-san in this world to accept this," he picked his nose casually even if his foster daughter was about to commit a crime far bloodier than the Sleeping Beauties. He glanced at Okita, and grinned a little.

"…"

"You're a pretty girl, okay? But you have yet to bloom," he ruffled her hair affectionally and made her sit down besides him.

That silver perm is pretty good, Hijikata thought. It was obvious to anyone but the concerned that the Yorozuya Boss was warning a certain someone from getting closer to his daughter. He heard the perm got worse after a story of a giant trying to marry the China girl.

"Anyway, we're going to make a war with all possible victims. Of course, we'll say it's for protection but they'll be the baits, the sisters are going to perform the exorcism but we need to make sure all goes well. Since there are only women, China girl is more suited to this. You need to make sure the circles work."

"What does it mean?"

"Verify if their body is intact and doesn't have any marks," Hijikata decided not to pursue further the subject. "Stuff that looks like a bite."

"Oh, I see. Like a vampire's?"

"Kinda, yes."

"Oogushi-kun?"

"My name is Hijikata."

"You'd make a good mother," Gintoki cackled and hardly smothered his mocking laugh at the sight of the demon Vice-Chief trying to explain, as candidly as possible, what a love-bite was to a little girl. Truly, it was amusing.

Kagura only tilted her head in confusion, while Shinpachi contained his imminent nosebleed the best a cherry boy like him would— which, to be honest, was just holding his hand close to his nose.

"Anyway, if you work for us you'll be better feed than the silver perm would ever do, and you'll get paid for it in extra. We're counting you, China girl," Hijikata explained quickly before the girl had the time to be in awe. "You'll need to be on your guard and alert at night, and sleep during the day. Your eyes, they're better than ours right?"

"Yato have sharper senses overall," Kagura nodded.

"That's perfect, then."

Okita had shut down his mouth at his superior who seemed to know how to sweet-talk China girl, in a matter of seconds. Perhaps he wasn't popular in Yoshiwara just for his looks, after all. He wondered how Hijikata did— sometimes he haven't said anything mean that there was already a fist blown to his face. It wasn't his fault if she did have huge dark circles marring her usually perfect and white skin.

"Hijikata-san, die."

And the bomb exploded.

Kagura walked in circle alone. Walking in circle over circles, her mind going in circles— everything was circle, round like the moon, its light being her only source to the sight. The Shinsengumi were surprisingly efficient in organising a ward fathering all the beauties Edo possessed within, and Yoshiwara had been chosen as the area of protection because of its wide area and its proximity to the headquarters. Temporarily, they changed an extravagant and onerous brothel to an area strictly guarded, a gilded castle for the princesses.

But Kagura wasn't admiring the lavish bedroom she stood in, nor the crimson carpet secretly covering sacred marks the priestesses had hand-drawn to the floor.

She closed her eyes and listened to the pounding of the rain outside, a summer's rain.

The nightmares gave her headaches and hear stings she didn't ask for, reminded of a question she had yet to confront. Deep in her heart she knew the cowardice got the best of her, but she also acknowledge that the answer might simply break everything she had tried to build until now.

Strength. Smile. Kindness.

"You," the silky curtains danced into the air, wind engulfed in the room in a strong blast, but not enough to wake the women inside. "You're scared."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can finally read your soul," the beautiful voice echoed in her ears, "you're asking yourself if you're the cause of everything."

"That's not true."

"If I had not been born, if I hadn't existed, would they still be a family? Would they be happier without me? Was I burden? Was my birth only a curse?"

Blue eyes flashed towards the stranger, "it's not true. They love me, you don't know anything at all."

"I am loved, so I am not hurting. I'm not lonely, I'm not scared, I'm not abandoned," the man stepped swiftly, like feathers, to her. "You're hurting, you want to be numb."

"Pain makes me alive, because I have a heart," Kagura didn't question the mysterious being. Part of her didn't want to— as if drawn to him.

"Poor kid, your mother's body didn't take your birth well, has she? You're scared of the answer, you wish you could just stay numb, you think that just smiling and forgetting the past will change that, but it's not. Not anymore."

"It's not true! You're lying! I'm not hurt, I'm going to fight, I'm going to hold my promise to mami and I'll bring this idiot Kamui and Baldy together, again! I won't cry ever again," Kagura shook her head. "I didn't bring Mami's death. It's not true."

The room was filled with silence, yet the stranger's hand gently drew Kagura's face towards him. "You worked hard, haven't you? But it's fine now, you just need to trust me, I'll make the pain go away."

"I'm not in pain, I have Gin-chan, Shinpachi, and even Sadist. I'm not lonely."

"You are, you're scared to bring misfortune again— you can forget all these things for a moment, but it keeps coming back." The man leant down, the space between their lips scarce, "did you know? Kisses can make the pain go away."

"They do?"

"Yes, close your eyes."

A devilish smile stretched, "Good night."

#Okikagu #Gintama #Fanfic #English #Okita Sougo #Kagura #Dadtoki #Hijimom