Hi~ My second Gintama fanfic ! I hope you will like it!
It happens in the 5 years later world, so more or less the second movie world, but there shouldn't be any spoiler so it's okay even if you haven't seen it. You'll only don't know how they looks like!
Please enjoy~
I don't own Gintama!
This morning, when Gin opened his eyes, he had an horrible headache and felt sick. He couldn't remember well what happened last night: he probably drank all night long and came home drunk. The pain stopped him from thinking clearly, so, with a furred tongue, he called as loud as he could.
"Kagura-chaaan? Could you bring me some aspirin please? A whole box should be enough!"
No answer. Maybe she didn't hear him? He asked a bit louder. Still no answer. Gin got up, muttering several insults towards the little girl. Then, he suddenly remembered. The day before, if he went out drinking, it was because he had an argument with her. For stupid matter, really, he just asked her if she could be a little bit more original when cooking, because he was getting sick of rice with an egg on top of it. She should have had a bad day, since she got angry as soon as he ended his question.
If you're not fine with my cooking, how about you going to eat somewhere else? I'm doing all my possible, you should be grateful for that!
Gin hadn't wanted to start a fight, but he just couldn't eat this meal anymore, so he had left the apartment only to come back early on the morning of the next day.
Was she still mad at him? Gin sighed. He surely didn't need a kid on her teenage phase. To be grateful? Was she kidding? She should be the one to be grateful, he offered her a home, he fed her, and he even skipped a lot of meals when money was missing to make sure she had something to eat!
-Oi, Kagura. Sorry for yesterday.
He didn't really felt sorry, but he wanted their argument to stop. She didn't answer.
-Kagura? Oi! Listen, I'm going to open your door. So if you're, I don't know, getting dressed or whatever, tell me right now.
Silence. With another sigh, Gin opened the door of the closet she was using as a room. He closed it straightaway. Pinched his arm. Rubbed his eyes. Slapped his cheek. Then opened again.
Where he expected to see a futon on the shelf, with a red head coming out the cover, he saw JUMPS. No futon. No red head. Just piles and piles of JUMPs. This scene was weird, yet he somehow felt like it was natural. Like he saw it several times before.
What was really weird was that he took his magazines to be recycled every month. And he was sure he threw them away two days day ago. And, even if he didn't, there should have been four magazines maximum. In front of him was gathered a full year of JUMPs.
Puzzled, he just couldn't figure how this all might have… Then he thought of something. The kid left (ran away? Or just took Sadaharu, missing to, on a walk?) and did all of this to send him a "your magazines matter more to you than me!" kind of message. This theory was plausible, but… how did she get all those magazines? She couldn't have been preparing this for a whole year, without him noticing!
Gin didn't like to think too deeply. This story was getting more and more complicated, he just had to wait her back to ask her to explain herself. And he would wait reading all those old JUMPs.
He took one of them on the top of one pile. Hi didn't recognize many of the characters on the front page – so many new series starting in the same time?
What was really really strange was when he tried to read one of those new stories. The chapter had a number, but it was… number 183?! How could Gin miss this story for three years? Truly disturbed, he threw the JUMP far from him. His headache was gone, but he was feeling another one starting in the back of his head.
Shinpachi's voice lifted his spirit. He just heard the boy's voice from the other side of the door, maybe he could explain that fake JUMP thing.
"Shinpachi!" Called Gin even before seeing the boy. "Have you met Kagura and Sadaharu on your way? That brat imagined a bad prank to me and I'm going to make her regret every single act she did!"
But, as soon as he saw Shinpachi, he became the one to regret.
Because the man standing in front of him was Shinpachi and yet was not. Glasses didn't change. Hair was as dark as usual.
But that hair grew. Not much, but his haircut hid his face more than his usual kid haircut. His glare had hardened. Not much either, he still looked dumb, but Gin could see that this boy – this man was not the one he knew. Even his muscle structure developed, his kendo outfit fitted him perfectly, and he had a sword tied to his belt.
Oh, of course, Gin knew this man that looked as old as him. He met him before, fought together with him before. But all of this happened in the future. Five years in the future.
Shinpachi didn't notice his look and answered him, surprised.
"Kagura? Sadaharu? Well, I might have seen them, but…"
"But what?!"
Gin was on defensive mode. He didn't like how things were turning. Well, at least, he was still alive, but that didn't mean something bad wasn't happening.
-But I cannot tell you, since I don't know what they look like! New customers you just met?
Gin stared at Shinpachi, silent, for a moment, looking at him with his deadpan look. Shinpachi was beginning to be embarrassed. Looked like the Shinpachi of this time still disliked to be the center of attention.
"Kidding me, right?"
"Should I be kidding? Former customers I don't remember?"
"I'm talking about Kagura. The noisy brat living here, in this closet. The one who makes fun of you every single time. I'm talking about Sadaharu. The biggest dog ever, a monster as tall as you, with weird eyebrows, eating whatever he finds."
Shinpachi flinched his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry, Gin-san, but I don't have the tiniest hint of who you're talking about. No kid lived here, of her free will or even without. And about the dog… I didn't even know you gave it a name. I mean, sure, one day, someone took a strange dog looking as you described it at our door, but you decided you didn't need it and after three days staying outside, he left for a weird shrine. Gin-san, are you daydreaming?"
Gin sat on the sofa, trembling. Nonsense. All of this was just nonsense. He couldn't have imagined Kagura, she wasn't born from his mind. He remembered her getting mad the day before. He remembered her smile when he bought her the familial pack of Sukonbu the day even before. He remembered the tears she had shed when Sadaharu cut his paw and bleed quite a lot, the month before. He couldn't have imagined all of that.
"Hijikata-san, good to see you! Gin-san doesn't look like he feels well… If you had a job to give him to keep him busy, that would be wonderful.
Gin rose his head. Hijikata also changed into what he remembered from the future. A long black coat, messy hair, stupid look. The last part had remained from his past self, though, thought Gin. So no Shinsengumi uniform? In this future too it have been disbanded?
"Well, that's obviously because she spends her time with…"
Hijikata stopped talking, cogitating. Shinpachi looked at him with a wondering look.
"She? Who is she?"
Hijikata took his hands to his head, massaging his temples.
"I… I don't know. For a moment I felt like… No, forget it. And I don't know why you should know this better than me, but it's better to ask! And please, since the Shinsengumi is over, he's not one of my men anymore, but a lonesome assassin working for whoever pays, don't pretend not to know."
Gin clenched his fists. He was still hoping this was some kind of lame joke. Hijikata obviously almost remembered something important – someone important.
Then, a phone rang. Gin realized it was his.
Got a mobile now? Wow, so I managed in my life to earn money without spending it all at the Pachinko.
Seeing the name written on the screen, he frowned. The voice on the other side was familiar.
-Danna, I think we're in trouble.
Troubles ? What kind of troubles is that person talking about? Find it out in the next Chapter of "Erased"! Follow this story if you want to know when the next chapter is out ! (there will be 5 chapters)