Warning: My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

Disclaimer: I hate life but I cannot hate Gorilla's work (Gintama).

She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me

Extract 17

Life, As It Came To Be, Is Crueler Than A Dream

The pillar crumbled, and stones and debris rained down from the sky to crush and injure those unfortunate enough to be under it.

Gintoki couldn't see the figure clad in black. He was separated from the man in front of him a second too late.

'Hijikata! Oi! Hijikata!' the perm-head scrabbled to his knees, trying to lift the large block of pillar that separated him.

There was no answer in return and Gintoki panicked. His heart rate increased as the feeling of hysteria started to creep in.

'Answer me! Stupid tax-robber! Are you alright!?'

Gintoki flinched as something sharp gashed his right hand but he continued to fling rubbles in an effort to find him.

He heard a soft groan a second later and proceeded to dig in that direction.

After a large white stone was lifted, Gintoki saw him, bleeding from the temple and half-conscious. The man was probably suffering from concussion but this is no time for them to relax.

Gintoki tried to drag that body out before the fire can catch up to them.

'Move it, you lazy cop. We're getting out of here.' Gintoki slung the uniformed arm on his shoulder and proceeded to painfully move them slowly towards the iron gates.

'…no. No.' He painfully drawled. 'Yu-… Yuzuki…-Have to… get her…'

The silver samurai angrily breathed out. 'As if you're in the condition for that.' Gintoki looked back at the chaos behind him and saw the fire had spread widely. Something heavy crumbled nearby.

'Hijikata, it's too late for her.' Gintoki said as the crimson hues of the fire reflected beautifully on the red iris of his eyes.

In thinking back, it was the night before she left for good.

'Toushirou-kun, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry.' Himura had muttered in her dream.

Tears flowed down her cheeks and Hijikata hurriedly wake her.

'Himura-san! Wake up. You'll catch a cold sleeping here.'

Yuzuki had fallen asleep as she laid her cheek on the cool low table. As she jolted awake, she looked up to the figure in front of her blearily, and hugged him.

'Did you have a bad dream or something?' Hijikata rubbed that vulnerable back to convey comfort. She shook her head.

'You haven't done anything bad, Himura-san. There's nothing to apologise for.'

Yuzuki separated herself from him and wiped her tears away. She only smiled sadly in response.

'This is….?' Hijikata woke up to the throbbing on his temple. He opened his eyes only to close them again due to the blinding light.

A hand rubbed his back in small motions.

Hijikata once again tried to open his eyes and saw the white and blue of his familiar kimono.

Gintoki was lying down at his side, looking at him with something like concern and that look seemed quite out of place on him.

'Where is this?' Hijikata's parched throat managed to croak out.

'The Yorozuya.' Gintoki monotonously replied.

'Why am I here?' Hijikata turned to face the ceiling and Gintoki stopped his calming motion to shift out of the way.

'I wonder why.' Gintoki once again monotonously replied, giving nothing away.

Hijikata closed his eyes and dreaded the answer to his next question. He asked it, nevertheless.

'What happened after I passed out?'

Gintoki hesitated. He then shrugged.

'I got you out of the rubble, saved you and nursed you back to health. I've sent the bill out to the Shinsengumi and am expecting to be paid triple the amount in the next three days.'

Hijikata started to become irritated.

'Don't be playing stupid with me, you perm-head. You know that's not what I want to hear.'

Gintoki met his gaze seriously and said, 'Whatever it is that I will say is not something that you'd want to hear either.'

'…try me.'

Gintoki sighed in resignation and started, 'After I got you out, I saw your gorilla Commander with the Joui Captain. According to them, the fire was spreading faster than they've predicted and the only way to quash that special fire, was to use a normal fire.'

Hijikata tried to sit up from the futon but the throbbing in his head made him dizzy. Gintoki forced him back to lie down.

'The Joui Captain was prepared with two dozen litres of oil and matches. He set fire against fire and everything was reduced to ashes. Nothing was left.' Gintoki finished.

'Are you saying…' Hijikata trembled and something in him cracked with shock and sadness.

'Nothing was left of her either.'

Hijikata grabbed the cover to his futon and threw it away. He hurriedly tried to stand up but the motion made him sick. Gintoki quickly tried to hold him up before he collapsed down but Hijikata slapped him away.

Hijikata stumbled, and toppled down.

Gintoki only managed to grab his left arm before he too was brought down to his knees. The bandaged gash on his arm throbbed.

'You're… you're lying. She managed to escape right? She's probably just missing again like the last time she ran away right? There's no way that she's dead.' Disbelief coloured his voice and Hijikata couldn't stop himself from shaking.

Gintoki felt bitter that her death managed to affect him this much.

'Face it, Hijikata. She's dead. Don't run away from it.'

Hijikata growled. 'And that turned out exactly like what you wanted. She died because you wouldn't let me help her!'

'It was already too late by the time we came!'

'No it wasn't! If only you hadn't stopped me,… or at the very least, you could've let me go back and save her…'

'-who are you kidding!? You were in no condition to save her either! It was her fate to die-'

Crack!

It was the sound of palm meeting the soft flesh of cheek.

Gintoki's cheek reddened and the slap had split his lip. Red blood trickled down the corner of his lips.

'What kind of rubbish is your mouth spouting? What the hell is 'fated to die'?' Hijikata trembled as he stood. 'What are you trying to hide from me?'

Gintoki shifted his gaze. 'What are you talking about? You're the one who wanted to know the truth. I'm just giving facts to you that you have refused to listen to. However many times that you want me to repeat it, the truth will not change.'

Hijikata lifted Gintoki up by the collar of his kimono.

'Fine. Take my words for this, I'm calling it off - I'm calling our relationship off.'

Gintoki looked at him sharply.

'We never had anything to do with each other and I have never knew of anyone called Sakata Gintoki. I don't want to have anything to do with someone I can't trust.'

Hijikata yanked his collar away and trudged towards the front door, slamming it shut.

'Kondo-san,…' the First Division Captain of the Shinsengumi called the Commander, preventing him from signing the document. '…are you sure this is alright?'

There was a pause, and a sigh. Hesitation and subtle reluctance present in the air.

'I don't know Sougo. It doesn't suit me well to follow a script that someone else had made but I can't see a better way out.'

The gorilla Commander pressed his thumb on the ink pad and transferred it onto the paperwork. Okita Sougo hesitated, but he picked up the pen and signed his signature as the witness.

With that, the document for tomorrow's execution had become official.

A/N: Thanks for everyone who's still following :) Sorry that I've been busy for so long. Leave me reviews/PMs/Comment. I still have a love for them XD