Chapter Text

Rouge

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Kagura didn't quite understand how this man managed to convince her to go to a party.

It wasn't part of the deal with Kamui at all but he mentioned food and her brain short-circuited. She had been to many boring mundane parties already so doing one more shouldn't be horrible, right? Although Okita Sougo was an insufferable man, Kagura possessed more poise and patience than one could think, especially for delicious food.

This explained why she was dressed in an extravagant qipao, waiting for the said atrocious man to come. The dress wasn't actually her favorite, it was very long and although in a rare shade of crimson leaning pink Kagura preferred a more movement-friendly outfit. Still, it was a qipao that made her look regal, with its luxurious hand-sewn ornaments, the rich gloss of the silk, it was perfect for those kinds of parties.

Kagura sipped the hot tea Yamazaki served her, what man made such a beautiful woman wait? She had dolled up much quicker than him, although it was true she never dabbled in makeup too long. Not that she wanted to make her original beauty shine or anything; as Kamui once said, she sucked ass at it. Actually, Kamui's taste was nearly perfect when it came to women and this dress was bought by him, when he saw it on a runway.

"Does he spend, like, hours doing his hair?! It's not even long," she complained to the poor jimmy sitting further. Truth to be said she had just devoured the freshly pounded mochi Yamazaki bought but she wasn't satisfied. "What a pumply prick!"

"It's pompous, you illiterate China girl," a familiar low voice echoed into her ears. Okita Sougo had slipped behind her and tugged on her long red hair, for once not tied into a bun. She cursed him for always managing to slip near her somehow — even though she was a trained Yato. "And for your information I have to try different outfits, I'm just like, one of the biggest heirs of the Yakuza Clans in Japan. You're but a side dish."

"Who are you calling a side dish, I'm the dessert," Kagura gestured a large wave from her face to her curves, the qipao tight on her body, she knew she was breathtaking. "And see, you guys have no honor. If you're Yakuza then dress like whatever you want, it's not like you'll be of any use in pretty clothings. That's left for me."

Although Kagura wouldn't ever admit it in his face, her father was a good example of a man in power. Umibozu was feared in all China and more and as far as she knew, he still came to meetings with tattered clothes with his shiny bald head.

"Is that what you did?" He cocked an eyebrow and gestured for her to get up. "Surprising. I thought you were kept like a princess."

Kagura rose up, not without grounding her teeth as him. "I never said I need permission for that, I had to go to parties and It's funnier to mess with people, yes?"

Like messing up with an old hag that always had fun critiquing their family's boorish ways. Her humiliated face was absolutely delicious, when Kagura led her husband to divorce her in front of hundreds. Kagura had just slipped some words, barely tainted in sexuality and the prospect of a young, beautiful woman made him break up with his life partner.

As if she, Kagura of the Yato Clan, would need a man. This, of course, applied to the arrogant bastard known as Okita Sougo as well.

"Well, I guess that gives us one thing in common China," his eyes slid over her body and he grinned maliciously.

Kagura didn't have the time to move when she heard the wind being cut, the painful cries of the silk as he cleanly drew a slit on her right hips. Her long legs exposed, Kagura could only jab him in the stomach.

"I love my women bold," his hands roughly caressed her thighs and laughed, probably knowing that if Kamui were here he would be a fumbling mess of anger. "This is more like you, China."

"You'll have to repay it. Fully." Kagura glared at him but she had long gone used to his antics. He enjoyed riling her up, knowing whatever suave seduction he used, he would only reap anger. "And who's your woman?"

"You are," he drawled lazily, "for tonight, that is. If I bring a woman to a party then people would assume it's my woman."

"Could be a pretty girl taking her Chihuahua for a walk," she finally looked at him. His hair was parted from the middle for once, giving him a more gentleman look that fitted just fine with his black suit. With some confusion, she noticed his tie was of the same color as her dress. "Why are you matching me? I don't wanna be your woman, Sadist."

"But you'll have to," he pushed her in front of him and led her to his car. Expensive, of course, but Kagura was delighted to see her favorite snack inside at least. "I'm sure no old hags are going to hit on me with a China beast besides me. And why do you like sukonbu so much? My special tabasco mochi is much better."

"Your tongue's as twisted as your mind, yes?" Kagura savoured the sour deliciousness on her tongue, the taste of cheap and unhealthy snacks was the best. "I'm going to hit on a man and escape, yes? Who wants to guard you, you're not even mine."

"So China-san has men?" He sounded amused but Kagura noticed his eyes weren't quite laughing.

Whatever, she thought. He was a prick anyway, "I have Sadaharu and he's more of a man than you, yes? You think I'd manage to date someone without Kamui or Papi killing him?"

"Maybe I should make you my woman after all," he cooled his voice and opened the cabinet, pouring himself a glass of sake. "Just to rile up your pops. He's called the strongest of the world, right?"

"If you want to die, I can kill you. I can’t promise a quick and painless death though, Sadist." Kagura was irritated at him — it wasn't even his fault but he had the manners of a rich pampered brat. Because he was exactly that.

Okita Sougo sat in front of her, his annoyingly long legs crossed and sipping sake like it was champagne. Couldn't he act normal? She felt like in a constant photoshooting with him.

"Well, your brother didn't specify I couldn't make you mine. Training a gorilla like you might be a fun challenge, wanna try BDSM with me China?" He laughed again.

It was strange, his laugh sounded like bells and rang in her head. He seemed comfortable with her and the Sadist laughed just like how he laughed with Mayora or Gorilla. Kagura didn't know what to make of it, but she'd rather not have a man as persistent as him as a suitor.

She ignored his proposition and instead replied, "my brother thinks you're gay."

"And he only has himself to blame if I seduce his sister, that he sent to me." He closed down the distance and tipped her head, as if he were going to kiss her.

But Kagura knew he wasn't going to so she held his eyes, she didn't know why he liked playing with her so much. She guessed it was partly his nature, partly the nature down his pants,  but she didn't give a chance to anyone not serious.

"You stink of tabasco," she whipped her head back and really, she wanted to break one of his arms for real. "Stop playing playboy with me just because you're in a suit."

"It's what I need to do during parties," she finally heard his familiar lazy, dumb voice. Not that he was lying before— Kagura knew he did hold some interests in her, simply because she was a Yato and rivaled him in strength. She preferred his less Yakuza-side, the one that slips in the bath and fails to assassinate Mayora. "Ahh, last time I went there's this girl. Was she called Urara? I just said she was a good sow, since her father had some good deals with us."

"That's supposed to be a compliment?"

"And she kept following me after that," he ignored her comment, "but Hijikata-san wants me to play that and Kondo-san listens to him."

"You're so weak," she mocked him and held her hand in front of her mouth, something Otose had taught her to but it only came as cruel and snarking. Kagura could be elegant. She was just elegant in her own way. "I'll talk to her, yes? But only because I want to save a nice girl from you. I know a good optician so she gets her priorities right."

As expected the party was overly fancy.

Kagura would have enjoyed staying in a japanese manor setting, just like how it was in the Shinsengumi but she was met with spiralling stairs, chandeliers, like some anime  background shit. She eyed the buffet table but there was nothing generous and she sighed, if food wasn't good here then why did she come?

The Sadist was walking next to her, thankfully he didn't force her to clutch his arms like how some men enjoyed. To her surprise he didn't hold her by the waist either, despite being insufferable at times he seemed to have some respect left for her. Right now he stood next to an old man who seemed all too inclined to lick his boots while she strode her way to the food. She certainly didn’t want to appear as his woman, especially since there were plenty others eying him like he was candy.

They all have bad taste, Kagura quickly shovelled appetizers onto her plate. They were little bites, really, and it wasn’t nearly sufficient for her, when the Yato Clan held a party they would spread entire dishes across the tables at least. In the end she still enjoyed familial, generous cooking over extravagant ones with some rare fruits they found in exotic countries.

She also didn't miss the eyes on her. The women were dressed quite conservatively in expensive kimono, a few in big brand name dresses but none as exquisite as her. This was the Sadist's fault, surely he must have known and had cut the dress to attract all the eyes on her.

Unfortunately for him, if he had wanted to see her humiliated she was not. A beautiful woman was used to stares.

Kagura instead moved on the peculiar man gulfing down the strawberry shortcakes bites. Perm hair, an old fashioned white suit and a pink, a parfait patterned shirt inside; he was absolutely strange.

"Don't take all the food, yes?" She casually sat down next to him and proceeded to pick from her own plate at an inhumane speed.

"You're not better at all," the man yelled. His eyes dead like a fish, "leave the strawberry and it's a deal."

"I prefer sukonbu."

"Sukonbu?" He turned to examine her but failed to recognize her, "who'd eat this? I prefer strawberry pocky."

Kagura cocked an eyebrow, "strawberry Pocky doesn't even taste like strawberry. You're a strawberry addict, yes? You must be the kind of old man that wears pink strawberry trunks too."

"How did you know?!" The man looked more surprised than embarrassed, "Gin-chan might be old but I have the soul of a young man. And most importantly, those pocky taste good because—"

"It's pink chocolate with sugar—"

"But that's why it tastes good! I'm a humble person you know, I enjoy the simple taste of sugar and cheap aromas. My body hasn't evolved to eat whatever there is on that table."

"I know, you smell like cup ramen yes?" Kagura slid closer and pulled onto his shoulders, "gimme some, I'll pay you, yes?"

"Whose family did you come from to learn the taste of cup ramen— well, you do eat sukonbu." He grinned, "there's a cheap ramen shop a few streets away. I thought no one else would understand the beauty of cheap food."

"My mami said your body wants to kill itself, yes? The worse it is for your body, the better it tastes."  Kagura told the man proudly, her mami was certainly the smartest woman she knew.

"Your mami's a scary woman to tell a brat this," he called a boy working in the room and had sake poured for him, "but she's right."

"Of course she is. I don't know your name, yes?"

"Sakata Gintoki, I'm known as the cool Shiroyasha of Tokyo and—"

"Yes, yes, Gin-chan. You think you're the main character or something?" Kagura cleaned her plate and licked her fingers, not minding the fact that Okita Sougo was positively glaring at her. "I'm Kagura aru."

"Kagura-chan is it? Well, I feel like Souichiro-kun is staring at you, he's a big shot you know?" Gintoki sweated, feeling unwell in the glare of the Sadist. Okita was still chatting with a group of people, though his eyes occasionally glanced towards them with a glowering anger. “Is he your boyfriend or something?”

“Nah,” Kagura picked up more food from the table, “you’re imagining things.”

The Sadist didn’t like it when she didn’t follow his orders outside, probably because if something happened to her Kamui could easily destroy half of the Shinsengumi. But this was their deal, their problems. Kagura didn’t care to listen to them when she had no say in it and had to live with a group of gorillas already.

“He’s walking towards us Kagura-chan,” Gintoki hid behind her and trembled. Kagura thought that the caviar and the yuzu spread was perfectly disgusting.

“He’s just hungry.”

“I’m not sure he’s hungry, he’s really staring at you. And he’s drawing his sword.”

“I’m a pretty woman, that can’t be helped Gin-chan.”

“Oi, oi China, didn’t I tell you to not try getting out of my sight?” The Sadist radiated a dark aura and nearly kicked down the banquet tablet, before deciding to point his sword at Gintoki instead. The poor man never asked for anything. Much less the heir of the Shinsengumi.

“Sofa-kun, was it? I swear I wasn’t hitting on her, she’s young enough to be my daughter you know— Gin-chan isn’t a lolicon.”

But Sadist didn’t listen and Kagura bit another piece, this time it was chocolate covered fruits. The pear tasted fresh against the dark chocolate and Kagura was floating in sugary bliss, she had never tried this combo before but it was really good. She had to tell Abuto to buy those for her next time.

“It’s Sougo and China, this man’s part of the Jouishishi your brother wants to happily erase away you know?” He grabbed her by the wrist and tried to pull her at his side, this time she refused to budge. He was just fine at the Shinsengumi house, but did he have to treat her like some dolls outside? Was she a frail lady to be protected?

“I don’t care, aru, I don’t believe that Mucchi would just follow any dumbass man, especially if they’re as ugly as you—”

“— Ugly? I’m considered one of the most handsome, and for how long have you been eating anyway?” He kicked away Gintoki (who was more than relieved to escape) and threatened to slide his sword over the unscattered part of her dress, “I’ll cut it too if you don’t listen.”

“You ero Chihuahua, I’ll tell everything to Bakaniki when he’s back and I’m sure you two will have a lot of fun together.” Kagura mocked him, after all, everybody in Tokyo’s nightlife heard the rumor that Okita Sougo wasn’t interested in women, merely pretending to be. Kamui was similar, only three things mattered to him and it was what she named the three Fs: fight, food, family.

If the two were to meet again, Kagura could envision a new scoop and dirty innuendo…

“Pupu, you two are a good fit. Want my stupid brother?”

“Hah?” He slipped his hands to her waist, too intimately to Kagura’s taste, “be good and I’ll give you sukonbu later. There’s this annoying sow coming,” he whispered to her ears.

“So that’s why you’re so angry huh, got your panty in a bunch for one girl?”

“She’s the most annoying thing you’ll ever meet, China. Look,” he nodded to the left where a burly man in a vivid light blue suit walked with a young girl at his arms. “That’s Watanabe Urara, her father has fertility issues and she’s the only daughter. Obviously, she’s the apple of his eyes.” 

The girl was quite cute, her pink hair tied in two ponytails swaying as she gracefully walked towards them. Kagura clearly recognized the face of a first love in her smitten expression and blushing cheeks, she wore a rather conservative kimono in light green and a dark obi. It wasn’t the colors a young woman would wear, especially not one as bubbly as her.

But those were the colors the Sadist liked to wear, outside of dark suits. She had never seen him wear anything even slightly eccentric, or anything outside of humble colors, really.

“Okita-san,” Urara called so sweetly, Kagura thought it would induce diabete. Soyo-chan told her tales and tales of love stories but as she looked at the poor, enraptured girl Kagura decided she’d rather avoid that. “I didn’t know you’d come here, it’s such a coincidence!”

The Watanabe family were famous for owning large shares in many popular social networks, on the outside they might appear as just a rich business clan, in truth they sell informations and hold a large network. 

For once, Otose’s lessons on the different clans prove to be useful.

“Coincidence?” Sadist crossed his arms akimbo and raised an eyebrow, he glared at the Watanabe president and ignored the daughter. The man was burly but kind-looking, like a panda and beyond the appearance Kagura guessed an experienced man with a very sharp mind.

Okita couldn’t be coerced into wedding his daughter but if Urara so much as asked, managing to make them meet would be very easy.

“Isn’t that fate?” Urara squealed, managing to slip near him and subtly pushing Kagura away. Which could have happened— Kagura was more than willing to go back to food— but Okita kept a firm hand on her, it almost hurt.

“As you can see Watanabe-san I have a partner tonight,” he forced her to stop in front of him, fully planning on using her as an excuse to dismiss Urara, “right Kagura?”

Don’t call me that, she shivered at his perfect, prince-like smile. What did that poor girl see in him, really? He was a total creep.

Okita pinched her back.

“Yes, huh.. Rokita— Okita,” she stepped on his foot and smiled as brightly as one could, with rough hands pinching her sensible skin. “And I’ll let the two of you—”

“Ohh, don’t be shy Kagura, you don’t have to hide the kind of relationship we have. It’s nothing improper,” he was delighted when Urara winced.

This was when the dad intervened, bowing slightly to Kagura but his eyes were like those of a snake. “May I ask who your charming companion is, Okita-san? Which family has the pleasure of raising such a beautiful woman?”

Is she worth more than my own daughter?, was what he meant. Kagura knew those games well, after all, his daughter must be more precious than a mine of diamonds. That father wouldn’t allow anyone to make his precious Urara unhappy, much less if Kagura was just some plaything, a low-born woman.

Unfortunately for him, she was not.

“Kagura is from the Yato Clan,” Okita smiled darkly and swooped her hair, catching strands of it to kiss it. He acted so well, Kagura almost thought he was handsome. Almost. “The most beautiful woman I’ve met.”

I’m gonna throw up — oof

Okita placed his hand on her cheeks, tilting her head towards him in what seemed to be a romantic gesture but his eyes were warning her. There was no way he didn’t know she wanted to throw up, given that she did so last time he acted like some shojo prince.

“She’s very beautiful Okita-san,” Urara smiled, unwilling to lose the fight, “much more than the other women you play with, right?”

“Certainly, even Okita-san enjoys having beautiful women accompanying him.”

Kagura clenched her hands. It was one thing if they talked down to her because she appeared as the Sadist’s woman but it was another once they knew she was a Yato. Though the Watanabe were indeed a powerful family in Japan they didn’t exist beyond it, how did they dare a Yato woman would lower herself to being just a plaything? Not to mention she wasn’t just any woman— she was the precious heiress.

Just one word from her and things like the Watanabe could fall into ruins.

Fortunately for them, Sadist acted before she could and took her right hand in his, rubbing the lady finger with faked affection. “Oh, she’s much more than that. I hope you understand, Watanabe-sama, that you’ll have to find another suitor for your daughter. My Kagura is very jealous, you wouldn’t want the fury of the Yato against you, I hope.”

“N-Not at all, come on Urara, let’s go take some fresh air,” the father sweated in fear, trembling as he pushed the rebelling girl with him. The bravado, after all, had come to an end if one didn’t have the means behind it.

“My  Kagura?” Kagura immediately pulled out from his embrace, spitting onto her hands and rubbing it all over as if disinfecting wounds. She wanted to bash his head right here and right now but causing a fuss in Japan wouldn’t be too good when Kamui was out doing whatever he needed to do. “You better make it clear when I leave, I don’t want to be known as one of your M.”

“They’re so persistent, there was no other way China. You should be grateful to even stand in this fake spot, do you know how many women would kill for that?”

She jabbed him in the chest, so strong it made him cough out the champagne he just sipped. How fast was he, anyway? She didn’t even notice he got a glass. He enjoyed drinking too much. Even though he didn’t hold alcohol that well, “I have plenty of suitors too. I’d have, if Papi and Kamui weren’t spending their time chasing them out.”

“Oh trust me China, they’d run away by themselves once they discover you’re such a pig. The magic worked less than 0.5 seconds for me,” he wiped his mouth and proceeded to pinch her cheeks. “Don’t worry China, once you’re gone they’ll chase for me again and you’ll be quickly forgotten. I don’t see why it’s such a bad deal for you, since nobody would ask your hand anyway.”

“The poor women all over you will get their brains once they marry, don’t worry. You’ll be divorced in less than three months,” Kagura looked around the room but she didn’t catch any sight of perm hair and white suit. She was quite disappointed, he might be the first person in Japan she seemed to enjoy the presence of, despite meeting for a short time. “I’d rather be celibate all my life than work for you eternally.”

“I don’t even make your work that hard,” he snorted. “If you’re looking for that man he’s gone. What, is your type the sleazy kind?”

“I’m not! He was just like, kind of cool.”

Okita didn’t reply and looked at her curiously, probably not understanding her.

He didn’t have to. Kagura had a good sense of judging people and Gin-chan was a good person, she smelled it, just like how the Sadist didn’t totally smell like a douchebag. Just half of it.

“I’ve learnt my lesson China, you don’t get to move out of my sight. It’s bothersome if you run away.”

Kagura sighed and could only ruefully look at the main door, she was craving for some cup ramen.