A/N: So it's been a while since I posted this story, but I had the sudden urge to continue writing. I had to boot up my old laptop to retrieve this file, but it was worth it lol. If I continue writing this story, there will most likely be a time skip, just because Kagura's design in The Final Chapter movie is too good! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Warmth

It was midnight when Hijikata was awoken by the sound of murmuring and shuffling that came from the room across his, which was the guest room that Kagura was staying in. The storm had finally stopped, making everything silent, and making every sound she was making slightly more audible. Hijikata groaned as he closed his eyes in an attempt to go back to bed.

"What should i do?…" Hijikata heard the young lady mumble to herself. He first decided on ignoring her, but after considering the fact that she was wounded and she was a guest here, he hesitantly sat up from his futon, rubbing his tired face. He groggily got up and slid his door open only to find that she had lit the candles in her room, allowing him to see her blurry shadow. He walked up to her door.

"Kagura?" Hijikata said, his voice deep and coarse since he just woke up. He could see her shadow flinching in startle, which was understandable because his voice was a loud, deep, sound that broke the silence. She didn't answer right away, making Hijikata worried. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Can you come in here?" She asked. He slid the door open and walked in, noticing the look of pain on her face. "What is it? what's wrong?" He asked. "My leg hurts," she said, looking up at him pleadingly. He looked at the bandage and noticed it was splotched with antiseptic and blood. "I'll take a look at it," Hijikata said, grabbing a first aid kit from the hallway.

He sat in front of her and propped her leg up before he unwrapped the dressing around it. He slightly winced when he saw blood oozing from the wound. He wiped it down carefully and inspected her wound. He was surprised when he noticed its fast recovery. It was bloody nonetheless, but the tips of the wound had already started to close. He looked at her for a second, almost as if to question what kind of monster she was. She could tell from the look on his face that he was taken aback.

"I'm a Yato, so I recover fast," she said, and he went back to inspecting the wound then redressed it.

"Right," He simply said. After a while, she couldn't help but be notice the gentleness of his hands despite their coarseness. His touches were light and careful as he started to disinfect the wound. She looked at him and noticed that he was lost in concentration in treating her. At that moment, Kagura eyes slightly widened in surprise, as she has never seen this side of the demon vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. Her eyes then softened as he watch the man hunched over her leg.

"Your hands…they're warm," Kagura said hushedly. Hijikata stopped for a second, her comment catching him off guard. He didn't really know how to take her comment. He replied with a 'Hn' then continued what he was doing.

A few moments of silence later, he was finally finished. He stood up to throw away the pile of dirty dressing before he took one glance at her. "Hmmm? What's wrong?" Hijikata inquired after noticing her blue eyes staring at him. She shook her head and smiled. "Nothing's wrong," she replied. "Thanks for treating me."

"…It's no problem," Hijikata said, still standing in front of her. A deafening silence came over the two afterwards. Kagura had her head down, staring at her blanket as her fingers fidgeted around, while Hijikata looked around the room. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I guess I should be heading off to bed," Hijikata said, earning a nod from the young lady.

"See you in the morning," Kagura said with a small smile as she watched him leave the room. Once he was gone, Kagura sighed as she flopped on her futon, blowing out the candles in the process. She stared at the ceiling before she started tossing and turning. She grinned as she remembered Hijikata redoing her bandage with care.

The next day, Hijikata woke up at his usual early hour to train in the dojo. The electricity hadn't come back yet, but the heavy rain from yesterday was now only but a soft shower. Concentrated in finishing his routine, his sweat dripped down his garments. After training, he freshened up then walked to the kitchen to make breakfast. Just as he turned around the corner…

"AAH!" Hijikata yelled as he jumped in place. Kagura was standing in the dark and hunched over in front of an open fridge, devouring whatever she could grab a hold of. From the back, she looked like a Japanese ghost, with her long hair drooping over her face.

"Hmm?" Kagura said as she turned around, only to see Hijikata in a defensive stance. "Bwahaha!" Kagura burst out in mocking laughter. "This is the demon Vice-Commander? Afraid of a little, innocent girl?" Kagura said referring to herself then continuing to laugh and mock him. He fumed with embarrassment and anger.

"Stop laughing, you brat!" Hijikata yelled at her, and she continued to laugh and ignore him as she wiped a tear from laughing too hard. "Why the hell are you eating all of our food? The fridge is nearly empty!" Hijikata scolded. The Shinsengumi kitchen was no ordinary kitchen. The Shinsengumi kitchen had big industrial fridges to hold enough food to feed all of their men. Kagura, however, just about emptied the fridge.

"I'm a recovering girl, I need to eat food," Kagura continued to eat whatever she could find, consuming it faster before Hijikata could stop her.

"I was gonna make us breakfast, but we barely have any food now since you ate most of it!" Hijikata griped as he shut the fridge door in front of her. She burped as she turned to look at him. He waved his hand in an attempt to wave away her morning breath.

"So ill-mannered," Hijikata said, meanwhile Kagura simply dismissed his comment as she limped towards the dining area.

"No breakfast for you," Hijikata yelled out so she could hear him. "I already ate~" He heard Kagura quip back from the other room. "Cheeky brat," he muttered under his breath as he opened the fridge to see what was left. All that was left was frozen beef that had started to thaw out from the lack of electricity.

"Well, at least the food won't go to waste," Hijikata thought to himself when he considered the fact that electricity hadn't come back yet. He turned on the gas stove and made him some fried eggs. He then tossed what was left of the Shinsengumi sausage on the pan to sear it. He grabbed some of the rice from last night then made his way to the dining hall with his food, where he saw Kagura, sitting with her head down on the table. He walked over and sat across her. He had started to eat, but…

"Ah- forgot mayonnaise," Hijikata thought then made his way back to the kitchen to the condiment station to grab some mayo. When he walked back to the table, he saw her reaching over for his Shinsengumi sausage. Hijikata swiftly jogged to the table then smacked her hand lightly.

"Oww," Kagura whined. "I'm a recovering girl! You can't hit me," Kagura pouted.

"If you can eat enough food for 20 men, then you've recovered enough," Hijikata quipped back, before Kagura sank her head again on the table. Hijikata resumed eating his breakfast. The only sound that could be heard between the two of them was the soft rain.

Hijikata lent Kagura the wheelchair he found in the storage supply room, to which she happily used. The moment she sat on the wheelchair, she was already dashing down the hallway to see how fast she could go. Upon doing so, she spilled a bunch of buckets in the hallway that was used to catch the rainwater, which resulted to a bunch of puddles on the hallway floor. Needless to say, Hijikata was furious.

"Quit it!" He yelled to her from one end of the hallway, but she had already gone to another part of the building. A vein popped on his forehead in irritation, but he decided to just let her go as he sighed in frustration. "I don't have time to deal with this. You better clean this mess!" He yelled loud enough for her to hear, but all he could hear in reply was the sound of her laughter and cheering about how much fun she was having.

He groaned as he walked the other direction to go to his office. As he walked, he popped out a cigarette and lit one up. If it were Yamazaki or any other Shinengumi men, then he would've chased them and tell them to commit seppuku, but with her, he couldn't.

"I must be going soft," He sighed as he wondered. "…Warm hands, huh?" He muttered again as he looked down at his hands, still fazed by her comments. He looked at his hands but all he saw were scarred and callous hands. His thoughts were interrupted with her laugh and screams. An annoyed Hijikata made his way to his office.

He paused to look at his reflection on a mirror in the hallway. He stared at his own eyes. There was nothing warm about him. "Warmth…I don't have such thing."

The monstrous flames around him devoured and consumed everything as it closed in on him, but it wasn't the only thing closing in on him. Two bandits, one equipped with a spear, and one that held a knife, cornered him, their evil grin widening just as his eyes widened with fear. He felt his entire being shake as one of them pulled their arm back to swing at his neck. He winced as he braced himself, but nothing came.

He gasped the moment he opened his eyes when he saw his older half-brother Tamegoro in front of him, and kneeling onto the floor as he gripped his eyes; Tamegoro had lost his eyes trying to protect him. The young Hijikata felt fear, sadness, and rage boiling inside of him into one. Tamegoro was the only person in his life that cared for him, and that he cared deeply for. Then, he blanked out.

When Hijikata had come back to his senses, he looked down at his small child-hands that held a knife and stained with blood. On his feet were the bandits that had hurt Tamegoro. They too were clutching their eyes after he had been the one to slash them. He started to shake again in fear of what he had done, and in fear of what Tamegoro might think of him. Not only had he hurt these men, but it was his fault that Tamegoro was hurt as well.

Then, everything faded into white as he heard a girl's voice echoing in his head. "Toushi," the voice said with worry. "Oi, Hijikata!" she exclaimed.

Hijikata was awaken by Kagura shaking his shoulders before she held onto his hands. "Hijikata!" she exclaimed with worry. Her hands were tiny when they were on his, but she held tightly onto them. He looked at Kagura in a dazed and confused way, puzzled as to why she was acting this way. He had only fallen asleep doing his paperwork.

"Toushi, are you okay?" She asked as he looked at her. He could see the worry in bright blue eyes, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"What?" He asked confusedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you asking?" He inquired as he sat up, Kagura still holding his hands. That was when he realized he was trembling, just as he had in his dream. His dream of the past.

"You were mumbling and sweating," She said as she calmed down. "And… you're trembling," she said as she looked at his hands and pulled away from him.

"It's nothing. I might just need more sleep," he said as an excuse, but she wasn't convinced. She stared at him, almost as if to say he was lying. "Really, Kagura, I'm fine," He said. Then, a look of shock appeared on her face. Hijikata raised an eyebrow. "What?" He asked.

"It's the first time you've said my name," She said, almost with a blush.

"Oh," was all he could say. Then, a mischievous smile graced her lips. "Hehe, you were probably having a nightmare weren't you?" she mocked. "Oh, I'm Hijikata, and I'm scared of the monster in my dreams," she said in a dumb voice.

"Shut it, brat," Hijikata grumbled as propped his elbow on the table and rest his chin on his hand. Kagura just laughed to herself as she amused herself. She then hopped back up onto her wheelchair.

"So, have you gotten used to is yet?" Hijikata asked, looking boredly at the wheelchair.

"Yeah," Kagura nodded. "Though I should be able to walk soon, right?" she asked, earning a nod from Hijikata.

"Oh, by the way…Did you clean up your mess in the hallway?" He asked with a scary tone of voice as an aura of darkness came off of him, earning a gulp from the lady.

"I'll do it right now!" She rushed out the door and out of his office. He sighed as he rest his head on the table, listening to the sound of rain and staring at the grey afternoon sky. It had begun to rain again. Now all he could think about was his dream. He then brought his hand up to his face as he looked at it. He sighed and closed his eyes. He started to do paperwork again, but his pen ran out of ink. He groaned as he got up to get a new one from the supply box he kept in the closet, when he noticed a dusty box behind it that labeled 'Do Not Touch.'

"Hmm?" He wondered as he pushed the supply box aside and grabbed the dusty box. He didn't bother on wiping the dust away, but instead, ignored the dust and opened it. He was first caught off-guard, but then he groaned, wishing he hadn't opened it, as it only brought him painfully awkward memories.

The first thing he saw when he opened the box was a picture of Kagura, standing inside the Yorozuya and blushing awkwardly with her hands behind her back and bashfully looking away from the camera; It was the picture he had taken when he was possessed by the Otaku-sword. That was when he was taken over by his alter-ego Toshi. He went through the pictures and even then, she was warm and bright despite her shyness.

There was one picture that was different from the others. It was a picture that he had taken of him smiling and holding up the V-sign, while Kagura was behind him and giving a genuine, whole-hearted smile, doing the same pose as he did. It made him cringe looking at himself, smiling so brightly, but at the same time was a NEET, otaku, more worthless version of him. And yet…his alter-ego looked happier than him.

Hijikata stared at the photograph for a few more seconds with a longing stare before he placed it back in the box and returning the box where he found it, not bothering to go through the rest of the things. Just then, Kagura came back.

"Hmm? What are you doing in the closet?" She asked, before she snickered at her own comment. Hijikata flinched before he looked at her, the girl wheeling in with her wheelchair.

"Oh, nothing, I was just getting a pen," He said, grabbing a pen and walking back to his table to continue to do paperwork. Kagura just stared at him as he did so. "Hmmm," she hummed suspiciously. "Anyway, I came here to ask you where the mop was." After he showed her where it was, he went back to doing his paperwork alone and in silence.

He did his paperwork, every now and then hearing Kagura in the hallway humming a song while she was mopping up the floor as well as hearing her complain that it was hard to mop whilst in a wheelchair. He couldn't help but smirk whenever she went off tune from the song or whenever she made a strange sound when she struggled with the mop. One time, she even raged and threatened the mop that she would break it in half. She was so animated and full of life, it made him groan at all the noise she was making…but he didn't hate it.

It was evening after an early dinner when Hijikata was doing paperwork, while Kagura settled on lazing on the tatami mat and reading a book he had on hand by a candle. He could tell that she was bored with the book because she would sigh every now and then. Plus, it was a book about the samurai code, which frankly she didn't have much interest in. She had finally given up on reading and put the book down and looked at him, after she propped herself up with her elbow.

"So, Toushi," she started, earning a 'hmmm' from the man in acknowledgement. "What do you do for fun anyway?" She asked, curious about the demon Vice-Commander. "Since I'm here, I might as well get to know the man," she thought.

"I don't have time for any of that. Unlike you, I don't have much free time," he said, not bothering to look up at her.

"Oh, c'mon," She groaned as she rolled over onto her back, then rolling back to face him again. "Then, besides mayonnaise, what makes you happy?" She asked. He stopped in his track to give her a questioning look.

"What, is this an interview?" He asked, giving her a you're-so-childish kind of look.

"No! I was just wondering," she said. "Everytime we run into each other, you're always doing a job related task…I never see you in your down time," she continued.

"Well, my job is very demanding, so I don't really have time to do anything," he said. "But I do stuff outside of work too, y'know," he said, almost defensively, like he had to prove himself.

"Oh really?" she asked doubtfully. "Like what?" she asked as if she was challenging him. He had to pause to think of an answer before he went blank."What does make me happy?" he thought to himself.

"Well, I usually just go around town to do some relaxing. Eat at a restaurant, go to the sauna, watch a movie…" He started to trail off, then he sighed before looking at her. "Isn't it getting late? You should probably head to bed," he said, and just in time, the young girl yawned and stretched, indicating her sleepiness. Then, Kagura got up and sat on her wheelchair. "Well, I guess I'm off to bed," Kagura said. "Goodnight," she bid as she started to leave the room.

"Wait," Hijikata said, getting up and walking behind her wheelchair. "I'll walk you to your room," Hijikata said.

"...Thanks," Kagura said in appreciation as she was caught off-guard that he would even offer to do so. They walked through the dark hallway.

"Also, I have a change of clothes i can lend you. My yukata from when I was younger," he said. "They would probably still be too big for you, but it's better than your yukata now," Hijikata said, looking down at her exposed neck and upper back. Kagura simply nodded. Once he led her to her room, he went to his to grab his clothes then went back to give it to her, but by the time he got back, Kagura was already peacefully asleep, the large yukata blanketing her as she curled into a ball.

Hijikata left the clothes on the foot of her futon before putting a blanket over her then silently leaving, careful not to awake the sleeping girl and even holding his breath. Once he was out, he sighed and yawned himself. "Now, to finish what's left of the paperwork," he said to himself as he stretched and walked towards his office.

There was a light shower outside when Kagura woke up the next day. She stretched and yawned, sitting up in a slouch. That was when she spotted the change of clothes he had left for her. It was a dark blue yukata with minimal yet intricate details. She took a sniff to make sure it didn't smell. To her surprise, she was met with a pleasant smell, a mix of fresh pine and citrus, with a very small hint of tobacco. "He really needs to stop smoking," Kagura commented.

She got up to take a shower in the private shower that the guest room had. It was a small room, but it was big enough to hold a shower, a tub, a toilet, and a sink. The walls were an earthy green color like the rest of the Shinsengumi, and there was a small window high up on the wall, which allowed her to hear the soft rain. She was surprised to see that the shower was completely neat, like it was cleaned recently, since there was no dust.

"Huh. I wonder if they have lots of guests that come over, since they keep this so clean," Kagura said as she dragged her fingers against the wall. The verdict was squeaky clean. She unwrapped the bandage before letting her yukata fall to the floor. After stepping into the shower, She exhaled in relaxation as she let the hot water wash over her body, wincing once they reached her wound. The shower had a travel sized shampoo and a bar of soap that she could use.

Once she was done, she got dressed before she grabbed the first aid kit, to see if she could treat her wound and bandage it herself. She attempted to treat it and dress the wound, but her bandage work was sloppy and loose. She sighed. "I wonder if Toushi is up. If it were him, then he could do it," She said, unwrapping her leg and tossing the used bandage on the floor. She didn't bother to use her wheelchair, but instead, limped across the hall to his room.

Kagura gasped with when she saw his face contorted with pain and sweat pooling across his forehead. "Another nightmare?" Kagura murmured. He was trembling and his body was tense all over. He mumbled out of fear in his sleep, which scared her. He was breathing hard.

"Hijikata," She repeatedly call out his name, each time getting louder than the other one. When he wouldn't wake up, Kagura finally yelled.

"Hijikata!" She yelled as she kneeled beside him and placed her hands on his chest to shake him. The man jolted awake with extreme fear in his eyes, as he gasped for air.

"*huff* *huff* Kagura?…" he said, his face contorted with fear as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Hijikata…" Kagura she muttered, her hands still on his chest. He placed his hands on hers unconsciously, his hands cold and trembling. "Are you okay?" Her concerned yet scared voice surprised him. Hijikata gulped before he could reply. "Y-yeah, I'm fine,"

"You're not fine!" Kagura exclaimed, her small hands pressing harder into his chest. Hijikata was taken aback by the girl's outburst. "You're not fine…" she mumbled with concern as they stared at each other before he broke away. His hands slid to his side and so did hers. She limped away to get a warm washcloth then came back. She kneeled beside him and wiped his face. Hijikata only looked at her.

"What are you doing?" Hijikata asked with his deep voice as he caught her wrist, barely getting his voice out. His voice was still husky and coarse from sleep.

"You're sweating," Kagura simply said, her stubborn eyes meeting his. He let go of her wrist and she continued to wipe his forehead and the rest of his pronounced features. He simply closed his eyes.

"I'm done," Kagura said. He opened his eyes, only to meet her gaze. For a second, he didn't know what to say.

"…Thank you," was all he could manage. Kagura nodded. "Now it's your turn, dress my wound-…please," Kagura added 'please' in order to be polite. She was hoping that dressing her wound would distract him from whatever it was he just dreamt of.

Kagura watched on with concern as Hijikata swung his sword repeatedly, his sweat dripping down his face, and his breath jagged and coarse. He tried to shake off his dream from this morning. It was similar to the one yesterday. "I was lucky she…" he started to think, but afraid to finish the thought. "…that she was here" he thought as he stole a glance at Kagura who was sitting in her wheelchair by the dojo door, only for his eyes to meet hers. His eyes widened then quickly looked away, embarrassed he was caught looking.

"You're staring," Hijikata said in between breaths. Kagura didn't reply, but continued to look at him.

"What in the world could scare him so much?" Kagura thought regarding this morning as she recalls the horrified look on his face, in his eyes when he woke up.

When Hijikata finally finished his training routine, he walked towards the dojo door. Kagura who was waiting for him by the doorway handed him a towel, his big, callous hands grazing against her soft, smooth ones. He held the towel in his hand then looked at her.

"…You don't have to be nice to me," Hijikata said. Kagura understood that he didn't want to be pitied.

"I know," Kagura said, returning his gaze.

He paused as they looked at each other before he wiped his sweat off. He then placed the towel around his neck.

"Then…I'll go freshen up," He simply said.

"I'll go make breakfast then," she said, but before she could wheel herself out, Hijikata grabbed a hold of the wheelchair and started pushing her.

"What are you doing?" Kagura asked.

"Taking you to the kitchen," Hijikata replied.

"…But the bath is in the opposite direction," Kagura said.

"I know," Hijikata replied, mirroring her reply from earlier. Kagura could only blush. When they reached the kitchen, he looked at her one last time, "I'll be back," he said.

"Take your time," Kagura said, trying to hide her flushed cheeks. He gave her a nod before he started walking away. Just then, the electricity came back. The lights flickered on, and he turned back to look at her. "Electricity's back," Hijikata murmured, and she gave him a small smile of relief. "Yeah." Now that it was bright in the Shinsengumi headquarters, they could finally see each other well. Her blue eyes were clearer now, and her porcelain skin looked even paler in contrast to his dark blue yukata. She was undeniably pleasing to look at.

Hijikata walked into the dining hall, but Kagura was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, he hears a loud yelp from the kitchen.

"Kagura!" Hijikata exclaimed as he rushed into the kitchen, where Kagura was standing and clasping onto her hand that she just burnt, the omelette she was working on lying on the floor.

"Did you burn yourself?" Hijikata asked as he assessed the situation. She could only nod. Hijikata held her by the wrist and guided her to the faucet where he turned on the cool water and held her hand under the running water.

"What happened?" Hijikata asked.

"I tried to make an omelette. When I flipped it, it landed on my hand, and the hot oil…" Kagura said, but couldn't finish. "It's ok, it wasn't that bad," she said with a reassuring smile. Hijikata could only sigh. "I hope not. I'll put some aloe on it later. That'll help some," Hijikata said, and Kagura nodded.

"Sorry about the omelette," Kagura said, looking at the omelette on the floor.

"That's ok," Hijikata said.

"I only know how to cook hot rice for breakfast and put an egg on top with some soy sauce," Kagura said as she looked down at the sink.

"That's fine," Hijikata said with his deep voice. "We'll have that."

Kagura looked up at the man beside her. She was grateful that he was understanding today. If it were some other day, perhaps he wouldn't be so forgiving. His hands were still holding hers as they let the water run over the burn. Hijikata looked down at her. She quickly looked away before she was caught looking, but it was too late.

"You're staring again," Hijikata said. Kagura could feel the heat on her face.

"S-sorry," Kagura said. "Are you feeling better now?" She asked.

"Yeah," was all he could say, not wanting to talk about what happened.

"Can I ask about the dream?" She gathered the courage to inquire.

"…it's nothing really," Hijikata deflected. "I get nightmares every now and then."

They stood in silence side by side until the five minutes was up. Hijikata turned the faucet off. "I guess we're both a mess today," He sighed, brushing his hair with one hand. They continued to prepare their simple breakfast. Kagura limped around the kitchen, since the wheelchair was too short for her to do anything.

"Just take a seat in the dining hall. I'll prepare breakfast," Hijikata said. Kagura nodded and limped towards the kitchen, when she tripped on her yukata. When Hijikata saw this, he dropped everything to try and catch her, but it was too late. With his arms around her, they both fell onto the floor. Hijikata on all fours towered over her and had her pinned to the floor.

"Ughh," Hijikata winced, his arm hurting from hitting the ground. Kagura could only stare up at him, her cheeks glowing red, her striking blue eyes staring at him in shock. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of utensils and bowls clanking on the floor. However, for Kagura, all she could hear was the sound of her heartbeat. Once Hijikata opened his eyes and met her gaze, Kagura's eyes widened with a blushed before she hastily looked away.

"What?…What was that reaction?" Hijikata thought as he looked at her blue eyes quivering and her cheek flushed red. She covered her face.

"I'm so sorry," Kagura said weakly, her voice muffled from covering her face. Hijikata held her wrist and pried her hand away from her face out of curiosity. Her uncovered face revealed flushed, rosy cheeks and her eyes refused to meet his. He hated to admit it, but she was really cute right now.

Hijikata got off of her and sat on the floor. "Nothing is going right for us today huh?," he said, and Kagura laughed awkwardly in agreement as she sat up and held her yukata against her chest. Hijikata looked at her and noticed how red her ears were when she tucked her hair behind her ears. He helped her up by placing her arm around his neck, and his arm around her waist as he helped her into the dining area.

Hijikata was slouched over as he did some paperwork. Although he tried to focus on his work, he couldn't help but notice the orange haired girl lying on the floor across the room from him who was peacefully asleep. She fell asleep in front of the tv, her back towards him. Hijikata couldn't understand how she could laze around so much. In a sense, he was amazed. He, on the other hand, could never afford time to do nothing. However, for some reason, he couldn't focus at his work at all. Instead, his mind wandered over to her.

He sighed before he got up to leave the room. He came back with a blanket and placed it over her. She didn't wake up, but she pulled the blanket closer to her, murmuring something in her sleep. He simply observed her, before he shook his head and went back to his work. Still, he couldn't focus. He looked over at her for a few seconds before he got up to get a smoke. He went over to the closest telephone in the headquarters, since he couldn't use the one in his office due to the sleeping girl.

After looking through the phone directory, he called the Yorozuya. After the third ring, a lazy voice answered him over the phone.

"Yorozuya~ Gintoki speaking," he said nonchalantly.

"Oi, Yorozuya," he gruntled. "Kagura is here in the Shinsengumi Headquarters. Come pick her up." Hijikata hung up before Gintoki could reply. He puffed out smoke as he looked to the ceiling. "Now, I just have to wait," Hijikata said.

He couldn't understand, however, why he was bracing for her departure.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried to keep Kagura in character the first half, but I couldn't in the second half. If she was in character the whole time, there would be no romance haha. Feel free to review!