Disclaimer: Everything in this story belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

Notes: Just a quick one-shot I thought up reading the latest chapters. They are so goood. So excited!

"GIN-CHANNN!"

Kagura screamed while running towards the commotion. She could've sworn she caught a glimpse of familiar white a few hundred metres in front, amidst the billowing smoke and flying bodies.

Shinpachi and Okita Sougo ran beside her followed by the rest of the ex-shinsengumi/mafia trailing behind.

After their dramatic introduction at the docks, Sougo got news about a possible sighting of their wanted man. The report stated the wanted Kiheitai leader Takasugi Shinsuke was in the vicinity as well. The group immediately headed off.

There was no doubt about it, she could see him now, and Takasugi as they got closer. They were insanely fast, slaying their enemies.

"That's them alright, all units, surround the area, don't let them escape." She heard Sougo command through his radio.

"Gin-san..." Shinpachi murmured.

However, just as they were about to approach the scene of carnage, the two figures vanished.

As she stopped and looked around, she suddenly felt a light touch of a familiar hand settle on the top of her head while a rapid blur moved in front of her.

"Maaaa, you two sure have grown."

The instant was gone just like that and when she looked up, the two fugitives were both standing atop a high rise building. The Naraku attackers also recovered from their confusion and started heading up the building.

"Hurry!" Sougo ordered his men. "Before they escape!"

Gintoki stared down at them and Kagura could tell instantly even after two years apart exactly what he was telling them to do.

"Gin-chan! Please, take us with you!" She shouted up top.

"Gin-san! Why can't we be the Yorozuya again and accomplish this just like always?!" Shinpachi added.

Their eye contact lasted for another moment before Gintoki shook his head at them once.

He was surprised when a hand dipped into his yukata.

"Just give it to me, then you can go back to your little group." Takasugi stated, fishing around Gintoki's yukata.

"Ah! Oi! Ahahahah! Hey! Watch where you're touching! Ahhhhh!" They struggled against each other, and was that a moan I just heard?

In amidst their struggle, a bomb detonator fell from Takasugi's yukata and hit the floor inadvertently pushing the button. They both stared at it for a second before the entire building they were standing on exploded.

"Ahhhhh!" Kagura and Sougo held their ground as flying debri cut the surface of their bodies. Shinpachi as well as the surrounding Naraku and ex-Shinsengumi went flying.

When all was relatively clear, Kagura closed her umbrella and frantically looked around.

"Gin-chann!" She called over and over. The two were nowhere to be found.

"Tch, dammit, they managed to escape." Sougo sighed, then ordered the closest standing underling. "Prepare to leave the area, get the injured to the hospital." The man saluted and ran off. Sougo turned back to see the china girl circling the area overturning rubble in her search. Shinpachi limped back to the scene clutching his bleeding arm, he didn't think it necessary to even attempt a search. Those two were long gone.

As they walked back in silence, Kagura's shoes dragged across the asphalt. Her dejection was palpable, making the atmosphere heavy.

"C, Come on, Kagura-chan, cheer up. At the very least, now we know that Gin-san is still being his idiotic self. We'll find him soon enough and drag his sorry ass back where it belongs, just like always!" Shinpachi cheered.

No reply, her eyes remained hollow.

"Moouu, I think first you should get a good night's rest. The Yorozuya has been rebuilt! You should definitely check it out or if you want, you can stay with me and Aneue. She'd be so happy to see you again!"

"No can do. Did you forget that we were the ones that ordered her shipment. She'll be staying at our base till the investigation is over." Sougo rallied.

"Whatt!? She's not an object, you can't just-" Shinpachi cut himself off as a sharp tip of a katana made contact with the hollow in his neck.

"Are you defying me, glasses-boy?" Sougo threatened with glowing red eyes.

A vein popped on Shinpachi's head, "You're only two years older than-"

"I'm tired." Kagura stated monotonously, interrupting their fight. "Whichever's closer, I don't care." She hadn't looked at either of them since the incident.

The ex-Shinsengumi base was closer as it happens, and Shinpachi had to reluctantly accept that his pseudo-younger sister that he hadn't seen in two years was going to stay with the most sadistic man in the universe along with a hundred other, sweaty, uncultured, most-likely perverted men. But there was nothing, verbally or even less physically, that he could do to convince Kagura otherwise.

"These will be your sleeping quarters, you have a private bathroom just to the left." Sougo introduced as he walked into a modest Japanese style room with the futon already laid out.

Kagura followed, entering dejectedly. She placed her small bag of belongings down beside the futon.

Sougo stared at her forlorn form and sighed.

"So, I noticed you didn't turn into your chibi-form in front of Danna. Thought you would just fool the rest of us huh?"

That made her look up at him finally, she was still sour about how he managed to make her reveal herself.

"You bastard! Quit nosing into my business!"

"I'm asking you if he was the only one you were thinking of when you were coming back." He took a step closer menacingly. Since this whole ordeal started, watching the girl in front of him act like she did certainly fanned the flames of his jealousy. He had only just managed to see her again after two years after all.

"Of- Of course not!" He was quite close to her person now, and for some unknown reason, Kagura found herself getting quite flustered. She didn't understand why she felt the need to explain herself to him. When they first met earlier that day, she did register that her rival definitely appeared more…. mature than two years ago. Didn't explain why it made her heart flutter.

"It's just… Gin-ch-"

Sougo's hand shot upward, cupping her chin and pinching her cheeks together so as to prevent her speech. He moved closer.

"I'm sick of hearing you say that name." He murmured. His eyes were shadowed; she could hardly see them. But when he moved closer still, that's when her mind went blank.

Sougo tilted his head and aimed for the kiss. In his peripheral vision, he could see the fist flying toward him, but in no way was he able to prevent it.

A large explosion could be heard within the ex-Shinsengumi base. One of the sleeping quarters was half reduced to debris and smoke with a semi-dead boss lying in amongst the pieces. The injured and sleeping employee's all awoke from the sound, but none ventured out or enquired about well-being. They had expected this.

"These will be your sleeping quarters, there's a private bathroom just down the corridor." Sougo introduced as he wobbled into another modest Japanese style room with the futon already laid out.

Kagura followed, entering red and huffy. She smashed her small bag of belongings down beside the futon.

Sougo had to admit though, he preferred this over her previous dejection.

"Alright, time to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow to continue the investigation." In which he proceeded to tuck himself into the only available futon.

Kagura's fist again went flying "Where the hell do you think you're sleeping?!"

This time though, Sougo was ready and caught it.

"Hey, control yourself. How many sleeping quarters do you think we have?" With his hold still on her fist, he pulled his arm back, causing Kagura to lose her balance and collapse onto him. Naturally, she started to struggle.

"Hey, relax, I won't try and kiss you again if you don't want it. I'm just trying to comfort my pet pig; you've been lonely haven't you?"

He was so physically warm, it was overwhelming, her struggles lessened as the tight grip she held on herself unwillingly unwound.

She had been so cold these past two years travelling alone, she had almost forgotten all the warmth that Earth had provided her before. Even the idea of coming back, she wanted to keep herself closed off from everyone, keep her identity hidden, keep from feeling. She couldn't believe this Do-S bastard was the one who saw through her plan and is now the one to see her unravel.

Sougo couldn't hear any sound from her but the wetness he felt on his shirt and tiny tremors he could feel from her shoulders convinced him that she was laughing while spitting her phlegm all over his front. But through sheer determination, he endured the torture and kept the young woman in his embrace until he felt her relax in his arms.

He stealthily manoeuvred himself out of the futon and covered her with the blanket, but before he could actually leave, he felt her grab his Hakama sleeve.

"Where are you going?" Her eyes were a bit red and fuzzy, but they were wide and innocent as she looked up at him.

"Oi, oi, do you know what you're asking?" He stared straight back at her.

Her brows furrowed. "Nothing. Just sleep." Then her cheeks reddened. "You'll have to wait."

Sougo internally sighed but signalled her to move aside again anyway so he could squeeze back in. "Yeah, yeah. I'll wait. I've waited this long, haven't I?"

"Huhu, of course, I've trained my pet chihuahua well." She raised her arm under the futon to pat his head but he managed to grab it instead.

"Who are you calling your Chihuahua. Get it straight. You're my pig."

"Stop calling me a pig, you sadistic tax-robbing Chihuahua bastard."

"I don't work for the Bakufu anymore, idiotic china, get with the times."

"~~~~~~~~~"

"~~~~~~~~"

So on and so forth, they struggled through the night.

And the journey continues.