Kids Will Be Kids by kingfishers_game

Chapter 3: Don't Bring Your Bazooka with You on Vacation If You're Not

Going to Use it...

"I'm sorry, sir, but pets aren't allowed on this spaceline. If you want to bring your—dog? Is that a dog?" The terminal agent, a harassed-looking man with thinning hair, eyed Sadaharu warily. "—Well, if you want to bring it on the flight, you'll have to buy another ticket."

It was practically a miracle that they'd made it this far through terminal security with the massive dog in tow. Sougo was still half-hoping that the trip could be cancelled, but at this point it was unlikely.

"Ah...you've got it wrong, mister. This isn't a pet, it's a dog-skin rug." Gintoki, who was seeing Sougo and Kagura off, patted Sadaharu. "It also functions as a kotatsu."

"Is that so..." The terminal agent looked dubious, but the presence of several threatening members of the Shinsengumi seemed to convince him that the best course of action was not to make trouble. "Well, your seats are printed on your tickets. I suppose you can keep your...kotatsu...in the aisle."

At the agent's dubious approval, Kagura jumped up and grabbed hold of Sadaharu's fur to try to pull herself up onto his back again. Obedient, the dog sat down, but Kagura was still having trouble getting up.

Sougo let a snicker escape him. It was still strange to reconcile this helpless child with the Kagura he knew.

Unfortunately, she had caught his laugh and was now glaring at him and tugging at the fabric of his uniform pant leg. "Up."

"Did you say something, shrimp?"

Just like her older self, the current Kagura wasn't particularly fond of Sougo. It was probably his fault. Over these past few days, he hadn't made much effort to conceal his reluctance to take her on this trip. Diplomatic missions were always boring, and it didn't help that he was going to have to babysit Kagura the whole time. The one saving grace was that the younger Kagura seemed like a relatively well-behaved child—not that Sougo knew much about kids.

"Pick me up, uh-huh." The next yank would have pulled Sougo's pants down if he hadn't been wearing a belt. Kagura was small for her age, tiny even, but she was still a Yato and had the strength to match.

Sougo had to make a conscious effort to restrain the sadistic remark that had risen to his lips. That was another thing... At least if he had to travel with the 15-year-old Kagura, he wouldn't have to hold back on his natural S tendencies.

"Fine." He reached down to Kagura and picked her up to place her on his back. Her arms snaked down to wrap around his neck. Was it just his imagination, or was she trying to choke him? He stepped forward to the landing dock for ships, Sadaharu and the rest following close behind.

"Excuse me, sir." A hand on Gintoki's arm prevented him from advancing. The terminal agent cleared his throat. "No guests are allowed past this point. Please say your goodbyes here."

"Ah...here, take these, Soichirou-kun. And you take this, Kagura-chan. It's your 15-year-old self's diary." Gintoki passed the luggage he had been carrying to Sougo and a thick journal to Kagura.

"Wow, I didn't know Kagura kept something useful like that. Can she even read at this age?" said Shinpachi.

"Well, it's convenient for the sake of the plot," Gintoki responded.

He reached over Sougo's shoulder to pat Kagura on the head. "I guess this is goodbye, Kagura-chan! Stay safe and don't cause trouble with the sadist. And when you turn back, don't let him get too friendly with the girls in Oukoku. That kind of do-S requires supervision, or he'll end up wasting the taxpayers' money on dirty things."