Hello everyone! I said I had something ready for Kagura’s birthday and here it is. It’s not exactly what you may be expecting (and I’m sorry about that) but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Without further ado, here you have the last chapter of Pieces

AO3

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Pieces VIII

“So, Soyo–chan, would you mind telling me one more time why are we here?”

“Sure! We've just finished our exams and I wanted us to have some fun, so I thought this would be a good idea.” Soyo smiled brightly and Kagura sighed.

“And your idea of fun includes us working in a… strip club?”

“Well, you know how this friend of mine needed two shift covers for just tonight, and we're not even pink bunnies!” Kagura looked at her attire and sighed again. Soyo had told her they were going to be doing something different that night, and she had actually followed because her friend wasn't supposed to be mental, right?

Damn no, it didn't seem like it. So now she was stuck here for the whole night –she was Kagura, and she wasn’t a chickening out of anything even if it meant serving drunk guys. And the problem with the attire? She was wearing a fucking black bunny suit like those playboy girls wore. Like Soyo had said, at least she wasn't wearing a pink or a red one, which included services she wasn’t ready for. Black equalled to serving drinks. Some teasing, maybe, if the girl felt like it. For that, she was glad; it was like being a waitress but with a costume, and she was familiar with that thanks to helping Otose with the bar sometimes.

The first part of the night went by uneventfully. Alcohol had not started to make people go crazy yet and, even though high heels were not the most comfortable shoes to walk around in, she managed pretty good. Soyo, being as polite and graceful as only rich girls who have been taught strict manners could be, was a natural and was having a great time. In their first break of the night the brunette told Kagura that if she actually smiled more, her tips would get better.

It was at the end of said break that her rich and mischievous friend nudged her in the ribs, signalling with her head to one of the tables that was being occupied by some guys at the far end of the local.

“Eh? What is it? Some hot blokes?” Kagura turned to look at Soyo with an inquisitive gaze, but she just smiled enigmatically.

“Well, they sure are hot, but I’m sure there's one that will pick up your interest among the others. Why don't you take a look again?” Kagura did so, squinting, and her stomach dropped when she recognised the flaxen hair, the gait and the familiar broad shoulders.

Pieces #9

Sougo woke up tangled up with Kagura and the futon. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that. He was still groggy, but the lavender was unmistakable. He inhaled softly, her scent waking up more than just his conscience. He snorted. How did she do it? She wasn't even awake and he already wanted to eat her alive. He didn't know where he took the strength neither, considering the events from the night before. Tanabata was always a busy night.

Cracking one eye open, it took him a moment to realize where he was. His head was resting in the crook of her neck and he only could see past her shoulder, but the fusuma were enough for him. It was strange for him to wake up there, as she preferred to avoid her room, but they hadn't had the patience to look for another place the day before.

There was light coming from outside, but not very strongly. It was probably some hour around the evening. He closed his eye again and relaxed his muscles, Kagura's breath moving his bangs and tickling his forehead. He didn't know why, but he didn't mind being like this with her. He didn't feel the need to flee as soon as he was done, and he ended up enjoying his sleep. No nightmares, no threats.

He was starting to doze off again when his peace was interrupted. Two knocks on the door were enough to wake him up completely, and he incorporated, using one arm to support himself and the other to shake the sleeping girl beside him awake.

Kagura furrowed her brow and swayed her hand in the air, as if trying to shoo away whoever was trying to disrupt her dreams.

Another knock was heard, this time accompanied with a girly voice.

"Kagura, are you awake yet?"

'What do you think?' Sougo cursed inwardly and put his mouth in her ear.

"China, there's someone at the door asking for you."

If his voice wasn't enough to wake her, the message sure did. She jolted upwards, her hands gripping the futon to cover herself and her eyes scanning the room. Looking to her right, her eyes grew bigger at the sight of the man on the sheets below her.

"What are you-"

"Kagura, I'm coming in."

"Shit."

45 Kisses VII

Before he has had enough time to slide the door closed, Kagura is already grabbing his face and crashing their lips together. She's greedy, because she hasn't been able to see him in the past two months, so she kisses, bites and plays. Sougo is just as earnest as her, because he has waited for this just as long as she has.

Ever since he left with what was left of the Shinsengumi, and ever since he came back the first time, their meetings have been sporadic and short. He never comes to stay for too long, and they both know that. It's dangerous for him, because the authorities are still looking for him and Edo it's not a safe place anymore. Not until they, their people, do something about it.

They can't exactly pinpoint when all this started, because they didn't realise it until it was already there, alive, budding and foreign, albeit not unpleasant at all. They hadn't talked about it because words meant little to them, and they’ve always shown things through actions, so it was a matter of time before it happened.

45 Kisses VI

Sougo’s resolve to get things done quickly and coldly almost disappears when the door opens to reveal a kinda happy though confused Kagura wearing one of his old sweatshirts. Her face changes, however, as soon as she sees who is standing on the other side of the door and she almost closes it on his face. His quick reflexes kick in and he's able to put a foot between the wall and the wood, so she grimaces and frowns, adopting a defensive stand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” It's been some months since they broke up and they haven't seen each other ever since, not after how things ended between them. Still, he can't help but notice she's looking as fine as ever, even more so donning his old clothes, which barely reaches her mid–thigh. He vaguely wonders if she's wearing anything under it –she didn't used to when they were living together, apart from panties during daytime–, but he doesn't say anything about it. The look she gives him, however, tells him that she has noticed his brief yet intense stare and she crosses her arms across her chest.

“Don't look at me and get the hell outta here now. If you think you can come here uninvited anytime you want you'r–”

“I’ve just come to fetch a few of my things. I’ll leave right after. Let me in.”

“It's not the right moment. Come another day.” It's then that it occurs to him that she may be dressed like that not because she still likes wearing his clothes, but for another completely different reason altogether. An unpleasant and unwelcome feeling settles in the pitch of his stomach.

Pieces #8

The last place she had expected to find him at was the cemetery.

She had decided to pay a visit to a nonexistent official grave. She had woken up pretty early, when the rays of the sun barely shone through the grey menacing clouds partially covering the sky. Everyone else was sleeping or preparing to do so in the Red District. What was the point of living during the day if there were no customers to take care of? Kagura had adjusted to the sleeping schedule of the courtesans long time ago, even though she was not required to do so. However, if she wanted to help in non sexual matters, everyone worked during the night time anyways. It was easier for her and for the rest of the employees. She could always pretend to be a geisha or she could help the Hyakka capturing troublemakers, which was her favourite occupation lately.

That night had been eventless, so she concluded she might as well use her remaining forces to visit her surrogate father. She left the building wearing her usual white qipao, the one she had adapted from Gin's kimonos, and her brown coat. It was autumn, and the morning air had got cold and refreshing.

Had it been any other day, she would have enjoyed the fall sun, but it smelled like rain and the Yato had to take her purple umbrella with her. The clouds above only confirmed her suspicions. Not long after she had set foot on the Kabuki District, Sadaharu stopped to look skywards, a raindrop falling on his snout. He sneezed and run to nuzzle his head against his owner's side. Kagura smiled and opened her parasol, shielding herself from the rain. It didn't take long before it was pouring down.

Not minding the mud staining her black boots, she continued her way towards the graveyard, her thoughts drifting away. It wasn't like Gintoki had a proper grave in the first place. He had disappeared, after all. His body had not been found, and they couldn't bury something that wasn't there. It had been devastating. She knew the feeling of losing someone. She had lost her mother for good, but she had had a place to bury her in her home planet. She was no longer able to visit it, but her heart ached less when she thought that she was there, at least. Waiting for her. She would come back someday, to bid farewell properly. But with Gin it had been different. Where was she supposed to go to cry? Was he really dead? The Yorozuya didn't seem right. It just made her think that he might come back, and it was painful visiting the place. They had been left with nothing. In the end, Shinpachi and she had decided to create a fake grave. It was in a corner of the cemetery, it didn't bother anyone and it gave them some kind of consolation.

When she reached the steps leading to the gate, she stopped to take calming breaths. She ended up anxious whenever she visited. After a few moments, she resumed her walking, headed for the dreaded place. She was about a hundred meters away when she noticed a figure to her right.

45 Kisses V

“You are joking, right?” Sougo shifted his red eyes away from the girl happily chatting with her friends to look at her brother again, not an ounce of joking in his gaze. “There’s no way on earth I’m doing it.”

“Oh, but, you know, a deal is a deal, isn't it?” Kamui smiled his disgustingly sweet smile.

“You're not supposed to cheat when making a bet.”

“You are  never supposed to trust me. I never said no cheating. You should be aware of this by now. And you would only be proving me right if you don't do it.”

“There's nothing to prove and noth–”

“Bullshit. You two haven't even looked at each other since that party, and Kagura's been acting way too suspicious lately; she locks herself in her room as soon as she gets home. I haven't seen her eating  sukonbu  in ages.”

“I think you should look better, then.” He gestured with his head towards the table the girls were sitting around, the redhead smiling and with a piece of said snack in her mouth. “She looks pretty normal to me.”

“Then go and kiss her.” Kamui really was a nuisance sometimes. Well, always, who was he trying to fool. “If there's nothing going on between you two she will just yell at you like she always does when you annoy her. It shouldn't even bother you, right? It's not like she means something to you in the first place.”

45 Kisses IV

Sougo sighed out of frustration, looking sideways to the girl sleeping in the passenger seat.

“What I’m supposed to do with you now?” Said girl stirred a bit, eyes closed and smiling without a worry in the world. She was probably dreaming about that disgusting snack she liked so much. The seaweed flavoured one. Sougo rubbed his forehead with his fingers, trying to chase his tiredness away. That rich girl owed him a big one. Again.

He didn’t know why but, for some reason, that Soyo best friend of Kagura’s always set them up somehow. This time, she had asked him to take Kagura home, since her bodyguards had arrived to take herself home and she didn’t have the time to look after the redhead herself. In his opinion, an excuse as lame as the fake and apologetic smile the girl had given him while saying goodbye, giving him no chance to protest. No time his ass. If that girl had asked for it, he was more than certain that her men would have looked out for her friend and given her a lift home.

However, here he was, contemplating about what to do. He was glad they were inside his car, because it was snowing outside and they would have frozen to death by now. On the one hand, he couldn’t take her home because she didn’t have her purse with her. Or her keys. Just fantastic. He was sure he had seen the item in Soyo’s hand before she took her leave. That girl wanted him to go crazy. Kagura was currently living alone, too, so there was no one in her flat to pick her up or to open the door to let her in. Calling anyone else was out of the question as soon as he looked at the time. Three in the morning. Great.

On the other hand, he couldn't leave her alone in the middle of the street, for God’s sake. It was that late and the temperature was below zero. He wasn’t that evil, either. So, making up his mind and deciding there was no other option left, he drove all the way to his own home, hoping she wouldn’t punch him to death the next morning.

45 Kisses III

There has to be something very wrong with her if she is actually thinking that kissing Okita Sougo is the best thing she has ever done. Well, kissing doesn't fit what they are doing anymore; they are thoroughly making out.

The truth is that she's not exactly thinking straight at the moment, with his lips devouring her and all the alcohol she has chugged down during the past few hours. That's the only reasonable explanation for what is happening and the only reason as to why he has dragged her to the hallway to kiss her senseless. Yup, she’s not thinking straight. Not at all. And he’s just as drunk as her.

Their breaths mingle, the scent of sake enveloping them, and their foreheads touch every time they take a break. It's weird, even more so if she considers all the time she has been spending to make sure everyone in the university knows how much she hates him. Time gone to waste, it seems. But, and this was what she keeps telling herself, she's doing this because she's drunk, not for any other reason. The last thing she had in mind was a session of snogging with him.

Right?

45 Kises II

She hates being sick, much more if she’s supposed to be having fun in their school trip! It’s not everyday that you get to ski and have fun in the snow with your friends, and she had been so excited for this she cannot believe her bad luck. Besides, it’s her last year and she wants to make good memories with everyone. But here she’s in her room, tucked beneath the duvet and lots of blankets and waiting for Soyo –aka her roommate– to bring her some pills. This is the second day she’s stuck, and she’s downright pissed. She can see the people skiing through her window, descending slopes smoothly and creating lines in the snow.

Her friends had offered to stay with her, but she had looked at them horrified, telling them to stop talking nonsense and assuring them that she would be fine. She wasn’t going to ruin their fun too.

Finally, there’s a knock on the door and it opens. Kagura sits upright hastily, her eyes lighting up waiting for her bestie. When she sees who has entered the room, though, her mood sours. Him.

Stuck

It’s infuriating. He is infuriating.

That’s all she knows when she punches and kicks and hits him. Her breath is uneven and she just wants to slam that head of his into the ground, obliterating his annoying and amused expression into oblivion.

Because really, he’s such a waste of the male gender. Not that any of the men in her life are useful to start with; but, out of all of them, he’s the one that leaves the biggest impact on her. In the bad sense, mind you. She’s so tired of him she wants to end him. Yup. So she keeps punching and kicking and hitting. And it only serves to fuel her frustration when he dodges every single blow she throws at him.

Damn him.

He’s smirking his stupid trademark smirk, an amused glint in his eyes as he jumps because he knows. He knows how much she despises him and how much of a nuisance he is. So when she aims for his face, her other arm waiting to strike his stomach, he already knows what’s coming his way. And he stops her.

Some things are not meant to happen

                           I found love where it wasn’t supposed to be,                                       right in front of me.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering for the nth time why she was going to his wedding when she was clearly not fine with it. Whenever she thought about him being with someone else her stomach twisted and her heart ached. More than she liked to admit. Because dammit, she was Kagura, a proud member of the Yato Tribe, the brazen girl of the Yorozuya, the amazingly strong amanto that had come to Earth looking forward to kicking some asses. She was not supposed to have fallen in love. Not with him, on top of that. But hey, it’s not like she could have chosen in the first place. Love was something out of everyone’s reach.

Pieces #7

He didn't have words to describe Kagura in those kind of situations. He really didn't have. Beautiful or gorgeous just didn't fit her, the didn't make her justice. But he didn't know more terms that would suit the girl between his arms.

It was not that she wasn't beautiful. Saying otherwise would be foolish. Her blue eyes were captivating. The way they shone differently whenever they were alone was something that didn't cease to amaze him, more even when they were only focused on him. Her lips were pink, always demanding an attention he was more than willing to give. The way her cheeks flushed red contrasted with her orange hair and, while it would have normally been an awful combination, the colours just seemed right in her. Her skin was pale, a healthy kind of pale, and it drove him crazy how smooth it was. It was a contradiction, really, how a race that longed for battles and fights could have such an unscarred skin. Because she didn't have a single scarr even though she had been hit, cut and shot.

Her bravery was another thing that drew him to her. How such a seemingly fragile girl like her could be so strong, both mentally and physically. Girls her age were delicate, like flowers that would break if they were pushed around a little. But Kagura, ever since he had met her, had been strong, taking fearlessly every opponent that had come her way. She hadn't hesitated to fight him whenever the chance was given, and he had been dumbfounded when he had found a fourteen years old was more than able to keep up with the Shinsengumi's sword genius. She had fought with bullets in her body and he had taken it upon himself to make sure she made it out alive every single time. He had wanted to see her grow, he had wanted to test how far she would be able to reach.

Pieces #6

Kissing her wasn't supposed to feel this good. He didn't want it to feel this good. But her lips were soft and plump, and everytime he bit her, she whimpered, moans leaving her mouth as he tasted her. He had lost count of the number of times he had had her there, straddling him, but damn him if it wasn't worth it.

He broke the kiss, puffs of air leaving his mouth as he looked at her, blue eyes lidded and filled with passion. He moved then to her jaw, kissing every spot, and the girl grabbed his hair, tugging at it.

Making out with her had not been in his plans that evening, but who cared? It was the way it had turned out and he wasn't complaining. He was gonna enjoy it, indeed.

Pieces #5

The first time he had found her crying he had gone to Yoshiwara looking for a girl to sleep with. It had been one hell of a week. The Shinsengumi had been disbanded not long ago and Kondo had to get himself in jail. When he had heard the news he had tried to break him free, but it had proven to be impossible for a single man, even if said man was known as a genius.

He was really frustrated with the situation and with himself, so he had decided it was time to pay a visit to Yoshiwara and let some pent up emotions out.

Pieces #4

It was raining pretty hard the night she found him. Heavy drops of water fell from the cloudy sky relentlessly and the streets were deserted. Days were getting colder and shorter, giving into nights where no one would have wanted to be outside.

It reminded her of times when she had lived with her family in her home planet, and it only brought sad and painful memories back.

She fastened her pace, clutching her umbrella tightly and Sadaharu jogging behind her when something caught her eye.

It had been about three months since the last time she had seen him, and it was in a completely different situation. The man in front of her had nothing to do with the proud Shinsengumi Captain he used to be. He was leaning in the wall of a dark alley, gasping for air and using his scarf to stop the blood coming from his abdomen.