Author Note: Yes I know its been the best part of a decade since my last chapter! I hope you spot that I've edited the earlier chapters to have slightly better description and dialogue. I'll do my best for this final chapter! Sorry it took so long! It's partially due to the anime being cancelled... several times XD I may, MAY also edit my other OkiKagu fic.. maybe. Maybe.

Kagura hit the floor, finally reassured that Sougo would be okay. He had been trapped under the water for quite a while. She could not understand what had been holding him under. Some sort of barrier? She wondered. For the moment, she was just relieved that they weren't harmed. She found her hand resting lightly on his cheek, as she lay there on the grassy bank,

"Hey Super Sadist Punk." She smiled, exhausted,

"China Girl?" Sougo spoke so softly, she wondered for a moment if someone else had said it. She had never heard him use that tone before,

"You didn't find my necklace." A grimace spread onto her face from her previously sweet smile, as she tried to lighten the mood. His expression did not change however,

"My bad." Sougo leaned down so that he was inches away from her. She could feel his rasping breaths on her skin. They were both still panting from their earlier struggle to free him, "I guess I'll have to get you a new one." He leaned closer. Kagura thought he was going to kiss her, and she wanted him to, but instead he did something she could not have anticipated. She felt something cold and metalic in her hands. Sougo had placed something there. Handcuffs.

"Wha-What are you doing? Perverted brat..." Kagura asked, taken aback, but when she looked up at him, his expression was still gentle. He had not attached them to her wrists, but placed them open in her palm,

"They're a present. Until I can get you a necklace." He paused, "So if I do anything suspicious, you can handcuff me." He smiled, before closing the space between them. He reached forward, placing his arms beside Kagura, bracing his weight on his elbows. He glimpsed her cheeks burning red, before he pressed his mouth to hers, firmly this time, claiming her lips with his. He closed his eyes as she tilted her head to the side instinctively, allowing him to get closer still. He moved one hand, finding it impossible to resist the need to feel her hair between his fingers. He unclipped the buns in her hair, and ran his fingers through the long locks. She gasped into his mouth, filling him with deep pleasure. He loved making her react like this. He enjoyed their mind games too, but there was something about what they were doing now that made his heart beat faster.

Kagura could not believe she had made such an embarrassing noise. What was that? She had sounded all breathless and frustrated. Whatever Sougo was doing was making her loose control, and only a few seconds had passed? Or had they? It was hard to keep track of time when you had someone wildly kissing you into a hot frenzy. Kagura could not keep still, she wrapped her arms around Sougo's neck, and kissed him back harder, wanting more of him. She caught a taste of his tongue, it wasn't sloppy or gross like she had expected, but hot and enticing. Sougo tasted sweet and tangy, kind of like bubblegum. She recalled that he chewed gum quite often. Kagura was suddenly distracted once more as he moved from her lips to her jaw, kissing a line down her neck, and closing his mouth around her nape, ever so lightly, he placed his teeth there, before biting down a little. It wasn't hard or painful, just a light nip. With all the exciting sensations she had been experiencing, it was thrilling rather than scary. She had not expected something that seemed to odd to her, to feel so nice. He bit her again, this time further around the side of neck and higher up. She clutched her hands to his shoulders, gripping them tightly, needing something to hold onto. She was surprised by how strong his muscles felt, despite the fact that he was human.

Sougo fisted his hand into Kagura's hair, and tugged gently. She tilted her head to the other side in response, and he bit the other side of her neck. He pressed his lips to her throat, eliciting a small moan from her. Her hand flew to her mouth, as she tried to hide her embarrassed face, but he took her hand in his, and kissed her again. This time when he claimed her lips, he danced his tongue over them, causing her to open her mouth in surprise. His tongue flicked over hers, sending an electric sensation coursing through her. She tried to lean forward, to get closer, and wrapped their tongues together. He continued kissing her, changing between soft and firm touches, until they were both gasping for air. She could not believe something dirty adults did, could feel so good. She wondered if she was beginning to mature. She looked down at herself for a moment. Her body was certainly not that of a child. Her hips had more shape than they used to, and her breasts had formed a while back, though they remained small to her annoyance. She suddenly felt a little self concious. All of these feelings were so new to her, that she was beginning to feel overwhelmed. That was until Sougo slowly sat up. He rolled off of her, before standing up. He offered her his hand to help her stand. Why has he stopping all of a sudden? She was nearly seventeen now, to his twenty. She felt like a young maiden for the first time, about to discover womanhood. She took his hand, wondering what was going on. He did seem to know more about how things worked between men and woman than she did. He was several years older after all.

Sougo helped Kagura up, before wrapping his arms around her waist. He took a final glance at the pond,

"Lets go somewhere else. This pond is giving me the creeps." He said, "Something weird is going on in this town."

"It sure is. What the hell happened here?" Kagura felt like maybe the dead Sukonbu from her dream was haunting the place, "Never-mind, lets just go." The truth was, Sougo wanted to go somewhere more private. He was concerned about the situation, but Kagura had been driving him wild with her reactions to his touch. He led Kagura out of the park.

The two walked in silence for a while, before Sougo spoke up,

"My parents... died when I was young. My older sister, Okita Mitsuba, raised me on her own..." He began awkwardly. Kagura stared at him. Was he answering her question from before? About his past? Sougo continued, "There is a lung disease that's common in my family. We have weak immune systems, so my sister got it too eventually..." He trailed off. "She used to spoil me rotten." He paused for a moment, before smiling fully. He looked so happy for just the briefest of moments, that Kagura thought he might cry, "My older sister... was very important to me." Kagura sensed that he would not say any more on the subject for a while.

"If you must know... I can tell you about my nightmares." Kagura offered, "But not today. I have a feeling they might stop."

"You do? What makes you so sure?" Sougo asked,

"Oh just a feeling in my gut." Kagura smiled. She did not have to fear the Sukonbu leaving her any more. She needed Sukonbu in her life like a newborn baby needed it's mother, but Sougo had distracted her from that. At first she had thought it was strange, but she believed she understood now.

Sougo led Kagura all the way to the Shinsengumi barracks. He removed his shoes, before taking her inside, along a wooden corridor, to a room deep into the building. Kagura gazed around the small room, before her eyes focused on shrine. Part of the shrine housed a framed photograph of a woman. She instantly recognised the woman, despite never having met her before.

"Mitsuba-Onee..." Kagura let slip, "That's your sister?" She said gently. Sougo nodded. The woman was beautiful, a little frail for her age, but bright and warm looking. Kagura could tell from the photo that she would have liked her very much. Kagura walked over to the shrine, kneeling before it and clapping her hands together once. She closed her eyes, and paid her respects to Sougo's sister.

Sougo watched in shock, as Kagura so sensitively approached his sister's shrine, bowing her head and kneeling for a while in silence. The sight made him feel proud, 'Sister, you've made a friend today' he thought.

Later, Sougo led Kagura to his own room, and the thoughts of earlier rushed through their minds. Sougo found that he was hungry for Kagura, he wanted to feel her against him as he had earlier, with nothing between them. He closed the door behind them, before approaching her. He searched her eyes for consent, before gripping the zip of her dress. She looked at him for a moment, before smiling. She was pleased that he was silently asking for her permission before he took things further. He slowly pulled the zip down, gripping her hip with his free hand. She placed her own hand over his instinctively, feeling more secure with him there. She had never allowed herself to be in such a vulnerable position before, but deep down, she knew Sougo would never truly harm her. He might tease her and fight her and argue with her, but he would never hurt her for real. She stepped out of her unzipped dress as it fell to the floor about her ankles, revealing her somewhat plain underwear. It was just white with subtle lace around the edges. Kagura had wanted patterns, but Otae had recommended these to her.

Sougo's eyes were fixed on her. He seemed highly distracted by the sight of her nearly-nakedness. She felt like this might be a small victory. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her toward him, before kissing her deeply. A moment later, he let go with his hands, but he carried on kissing her, as she reached up to grip his shoulders. He pulled off his jacket, and tore off his shirt. Kagura untied his cravat, before using it to tug him toward her. He smiled, loving how quickly she was gaining confidence. He tossed his shirt aside, knowing many of the buttons were now ripped, but he did not care. Kagura ran her hands down his bare chest, wanting to feel more of him. He reached around her back, and swiftly undid her bra strap, though Kagura had no idea how. She had always found them to be a pain in the neck to undo. It did not take long for them to remove what was left of their clothing, and the two soon found themselves in sougo's bed, entangled in each other's warmth.

That night, Kagura did not have a nightmare. She had a dream. She dreamt this time of herself. She was back on her home planet, alone with her dying mother, fighting for the survival of her clan. Her bothersome brother had left them as well as their father, and it was just her. And then her mother was gone too. Then she was on earth. She had Shinpachi and Gintoki. She had a new home. She felt safe there, at peace. And then she saw Sougo. She felt safe there too, but she also felt... alive. She could be with him and never be bored. She could play games with him for the rest of their lives, and their rivalry would never end. And then there was his smile. One that she had only seen for the first time recently, and that broke through all of her bad memories. The horrible image of the empty Sukonbu boxes in the river... the apocalyptic message in the church about Sukonbu being gone forever... that all just faded away. Instead she dreamt of their time by the pond, and their beetle fights, and how maybe, just maybe, she would wake up in the morning in his arms.

She decided not to tell him the source of her nightmares.