HijiGin - Bittersweet

Chapter 8

  ~~Few Days Later~~

  "Hey, Granny, could I get a pack of smokes?" Hijikata was doing a usual patrol of the city, a way to calm himself from the recent incident...the one he doesn't like to bring up. It had only been a few days since then, but a lot has changed.

  Okita was found severely injured and was immediately hospitalised. Right now, he's in a coma. The doctor says he'll be waking up in approximately a month. Worst case: never. Hijikata shuddered at that thought, he couldn't imagine life without that sadistic bastard, even if he was always trying to take his life.

  Heh, how ironic. Hijikata mused over the fact that in the Shinsengumi, you leave no man behind, no matter what. That was what made them different from other troops, their bond, created from before as companions and friends, who'd all just casually decided to start a dojo to inspire others. How it was all fun and jokes back then.

  Come to think of it, Gintoki hasn't been around much lately. Hijikata was lying if he said he wasn't worried about him. The fact was, Gintoki had received some treatment but declined the offer to stay as soon as he regained consciousness and left. Now, he's probably...who knows, blaming himself?

  "Tsk, that bastard, making me worry about him all the time." Hijikata muttered under his breath. He hadn't realised just how much Gintoki had monopolised his mind. No, he had realised, but his mind rejected the thought.

  He was just thinking of the incident when he remembered that horrifying noise. The sound of Gintoki apologising in the most agonising way imagined. The 'sorry' that left his mouth had become a chilling reminder to Hijikata of that very day. He's dreamed nightmares, ones where Gintoki either dies or kills him. Waking up in cold sweat wasn't very common for the fearless demon vice commander, but who could blame him?

  Realising that it'd soon be time to switch, he decided to buy some sweets and visit Gintoki. He wouldn't be surprised if the two brats were beating the shit out of him for being all depressed and mopey. The thought of that cheered him up as he made his way to the Yorozuya's home.

  ---

  Silence. The room is completely void of any sound, except the beeping of the machine and the shallow breaths of the patient lying in bed. Beside him stood another, a visitor he was not, but more of a reaper from hell. An invisible scythe could be seen in his hands as he slowly inched his hands forward.

  The boy on the bed twitched his hand, an unexpected movement the other had not anticipated. The reaper paused his actions to observe the last struggles the victim may have, before passing the final judgement.

  Eyes fluttering open, hazel eyes stared into the reaper's own blood-red eyes as they held a non-existing staring contest. The boy moved his mouth, but no words came out. Perhaps he was too weak, but...what exactly is 'weak'?

  Was it the lack of strength and physical power?

  Was it the lack of patience and maturity of one's mind?

  Was it the easily-broken ones who are classified as 'weak'?

  There is no definite answer, but right now, the patient is classified as both weak and strong. His heart, soul and mind are unfaltering but his body just simply cannot keep up, thus resulting in the meaningless attempts of speech he tries to conjure.

  "..."

  It was as if he was prepared for death. Perhaps he had seen through the reaper. It could be possible, even if the chances were slim. The young adult would soon yield to Death, and be accepted into another world as his beating heart fades. The reaper dips his head slightly, as to acknowledge him, before raising his hands and, in one fell swoop, cut his lifeline.

---

Knock knock

"It's Hijikata. I came to drop off some—"

"Oi Mayora! Where is Gin-chan?!"

"Ah, Kagura-chan, calm down! I'm sure Hijikata's got nothing to do with it!"

This conversation seemed to pique Hijikata's interest as he poked his head inside the apartment, looking around for Gintoki.

"Where's Yorozuya?"

The question was met with silence, the struggling ceased from Kagura as Shinpachi looked down.

"We don't know. He's been missing for a few days. At first, we thought he'd just passed out somewhere but..."

Hijikata ground his teeth. He was gonna kill that bastard for causing trouble for everyone. Hell, it hadn't even been that long since then...This isn't looking too good for him, especially with people casting their doubts now.

"Gin-chan hasn't been himself lately, so I thought it'd have something to do with you." Kagura's words snapped Hijikata back to reality. What did she just say? That he the cause for that idiot's odd behaviour?

"...Oi, what did you mean by that?"

Shinpachi looked a bit flustered at this.

"Well, uh, that's..."

"Gin-chan always acts weird around you! It's like you're the only one he is serious with." Kagura whines then made a pout face, glaring at Hijikata like a small Jack Russell.

Weird?

"Ah! Kagura-chan! That's supposed to be-"

"Shut up four-eyes! You know it's true that Gin-chan turns into a love-stricken virgin maiden whenever Hijikata's around! Hmph, what's so good about stupid Mayora?"

For Hijikata, the world seemed to be going on without him because he needed time to compose himself and to go over what he's just heard. What did they mean by a love-stricken virgin maiden? We fight all the time, there's no room for anything else. Well, except for the times when we'd have a few drinks and stuff. But still, when has Gintoki ever acted weird around me?

Still puzzled, Hijikata unconsciously asked.

"Can I speak to Yorozuya?"

Wrong move, because the awkward silence has worked its way through again. Realising his own mistake, Hijikata tried to cover it up by shoving the bag of sweets into their hands. "Take it, think of it as a gift or something. Be sure to give it to that bastard."

And with that, he left, but not before hearing Kagura's quiet whisper.

"Unless Gin-chan is gone..."