December 08, 2013

Ren-sama's Note:

Hi, everyone! It's yet another HijiGin story! I hope you enjoy this!

Warning: Yaoi content

Disclaimer: Gintama isn't mine.

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"Ahhhh!" At the sound of the scream, silver-haired lazy bum Gintoki Sakata immediately ran towards the sound. He was currently in the middle of town in the middle of the hot day and was craving for strawberry parfait when the scream not far from him was heard. Many people also checked out the source of the commotion.

The woman who screamed earlier was an Amanto who looked like a tigress. She was bullied by a gang of Amanto thieves. They took her bag and were now running together with it to the direction where Gin was. All the other people immediately scurried away from the gangsters but Gin remained in his position in the middle of the road.

"Get out of our way, human!" One of the thieves yelled just as he purposefully bumped into Gin. The others also passed by him without another word, as if they didn't see humans as threat.

He blinked at them all as if he didn't know what was happening before he yawned. After a while, the woman Amanto came running after the thieves and bumped into Gin. She was crying when Gin caught her by the arm. "You're all so energetic even though it's so hot…" He voiced lazily before he grinned.

The woman blinked at him and was about to snap at him for interrupting her chase when he brought into view the thing he took a hold of just a minute ago. The woman's eyes widened at the sight of her bag in Gin's hand and looked at Gin with a confused but thankful expression.

"Thank you so much, permy man!" She exclaimed with joy before she hugged the hell out of him.

"H-Hey, don't call me that! And let go!" Gin said while struggling to get free from the choking hold, especially since the woman was twice his height and also twice as wide as his torso. He heaved a sigh of relief when the woman freed him.

Not far from them, the curses of the gangsters rang in the air.

"Where did you drop the bag, you idiot!"

"I didn't drop it! I swear I was holding it the whole time!"

And the curses continued.

The woman, unaware of the shouts, wiped off the tears from her face and immediately smiled at Gin. "Young man, you are so kind! What can I do to repay you?"

Gin looked at her with dead fish eyes before he uttered without a bat of an eyelid. "Money. I need lots of money. But more than that, I need strawberry parfait. It's so damn hot today."

The woman was taken aback. She looked at him with a sorry expression before she replied. "I'm so sorry. I don't have money with me right now. My wallet just got stolen by a bad Amanto this morning. I also don't have any strawberry parfait…"

"Ha? To be a victim of thieves twice in a single day is quite a bad luck, you know." He answered, already losing interest. "Not to mention you don't even have strawberry parfait. That's one of the gravest sins in the world of humans!"

"B-But I have strawberry milk here in my bag!" She reasoned before she took out the strawberry milk.

Gin's mouth immediately watered at the sight of the strawberry milk. If he knew there was strawberry milk inside that bag, he would've been the one who stole it from her. But then, saving the woman and then getting the milk in return was still a lot better.

"Thanks!" He said with a grin before he drank the milk in one fell swoop in case the woman changes her mind and just gives him money. After the drink, his eyebrows furrowed because there was something weird in the milk's taste. Even if it was just a drop, his sensitive tongue could immediately recognize a foreign substance when mixed with his favorite strawberry parfait and strawberry milk. Not to mention it wasn't a drop this time.

Nah, he's sure he wouldn't die from a mere foreign substance anyway… He just has to buy another strawberry milk or parfait from the wallet that he also took from the thieves to wash out the foreign taste from his buds…

Gin then started walking away from the Amanto when she voiced, "That milk was given to me by one of the thieves who stole my wallet, by the way. It was thanks to them that I have something to give you now…"

"Ha?" Gin voiced but he didn't turn around anymore. He looked at the packaging and saw that the said strawberry milk wasn't made in earth but made in some far away planet. He couldn't read much of what the signs said but now he knew where the weird taste came from. "Strawberry milk in other planets are not as delicious as the ones here on Earth, that's Gintoki's fact no. 1." He muttered as he continued to walk until he reached his home, the Yorozuya apartment.

He suddenly felt so tired and sloppy for some reason. He knew it was normal to be tired and sloppy, and also lazy and sleepy, but it's not natural to suddenly feel like he's about to collapse. He was able to reach the sofa set when he realized that he's already losing consciousness. "What the hell...?" And he dropped like a lifeless corpse on the soft sofa.

The moment he opened his eyes next was the moment he saw a pair of teary blue eyes staring at him so closely. "Gin-chan?" Kagura whimpered the name as she sobbed. "What happened to you, Gin-chan..?!"

"Be quiet." He groaned as he tried to sit.

"He's really Gin-san!" This time Shinpachi's face was the one so close to him. "What happened, Gin-san!?"

"Waahhh! Gin-chan!" Kagura started to wail louder.

"What's your problem, brats?!" His voice, he noticed, seemed to have gotten a little smaller for some reason. He yawned as he tried to scratch his head but found out he couldn't. And that's the only time he realized the reason why Kagura was crying like mad.

"Aaahhhhhhrrff!" A scream-like bark echoed all throughout the apartment as Gin suddenly found himself filled with silvery-white fur all over and with a small wiggling tail behind him. "My manhood is suddenly behind me-arrff!"

"That's your tail, you idiot! And that's the one you're concerned about!?" Shinpachi shouted, feeling like his head would explode from too much idiocy and misplaced priority, while Kagura cried at the background.

"I turned into a dogrrff!" He just realized it. His clothes were now too big for him since he turned into a small dog. "I'm a grown-up man for Kami's sake! How could I have turned into a puppy!? I should've been a grown-up dog like Sadaharu-arff!"

"Again with the misplaced priority!" Shinpachi yelled as he gripped his hair tightly from too much stress.

Kagura whimpered. "Don't worry, Gin-chan. We know the reason why you turned into little Sadaharu. It's because you drank the cursed strawberry milk from my planet…" She said before she carried Gin in her lap and brushed the soft white fur with her hand.

"Huh? You know?" Both Gin and Shinpachi asked in unison as they stared at Kagura. "Then why the hell are you crying like I/Gin-san was about to die?!"

"T-That's because it's hard to do!" Kagura started to whimper again. "You have to be kissed by the person who loves you the most, Gin-chan!"

"Where the hell did you learn that-arff?" Gin asked as he tried to struggle from Kagura's vice grip.

"From this one." Kagura brought into the view the very same strawberry milk that Gin emptied earlier. "It was said here that this is 'Strawberry Milk for the Inu.' 'Only one milk a day should be given for your pet dog. Under no circumstances can this milk be drunk by a creature other than a dog. Or else…' Hmm… Ah, here it is. 'If drank by a creature other than a dog, make sure to kiss someone who loves you the most. If problems persist, consult a doctor.' See..?" And she showed them the carton.

"You can read that strange scripture, Kagura?" Shinpachi looked amazed.

"More than that, I think that strawberry milk is more of a cursed strawberry milk than a milk for dogs-arrf." Gin said.

"Don't worry, Gin-chan! I will kiss you first to see if you'll turn back into human! Shinpachi will be next!" Kagura voiced with much optimism than earlier.

Gin felt that he was doomed. "Err… it'll be better if you will just let me kiss some hot chick with big boo––ahhrrff!" He immediately spit out some of his saliva because instead of Kagura, the real Sadaharu was the one who tried kissing him first. It seemed Sadaharu was listening since earlier and was now trying to see if he loved Gintoki the most.

The dog looked dejected when nothing happened at all.

"Ah, Sadaharu got to him first! I'll make sure to turn him back!" Kagura looked so determined that Gin immediately tried to run away from her but to no avail.

The puppy whimpered when Kagura got to him. "Are you embarrassed, Gin-chan?" She grinned before she patted his head. "Don't worry. You won't remember it at all." And she hit him hard on the head, making him lose consciousness.

"What the hell did you do!?" Shinpachi looked ready to fall unconscious too. "Gin-san, are you alright!?" But the puppy didn't respond.

"Don't worry, I just knocked him out because he was embarrassed to be kissed by us." Kagura spoke as if she didn't just hit the poor puppy with her Yato strength. And then she kissed him.

Shinpachi originally wanted to run away too since he didn't want his first kiss to be with puppy Gintoki but remembering how Kagura hit the puppy when the latter tried to run away made the megane-boy change his mind… barely. He shut his eyes and also did what Kagura did to Gin.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gin blinked at his surrounding. He just dreamed that he had turned into a puppy… What a weird dream. But then he heard Kagura wailing at the background and Shinpachi trying to console her. Oh damn… that wasn't a dream, was it..?

"Yo-arrff." He greeted the two kids with a raised paw.

"Gin-san, you're awake!" Shinpachi looked happy to see him conscious for a moment before he turned sad again. "We're sorry! It seems we don't love you enough! We're so sorry, Gin-san!" He uttered as he bowed deeply in apology.

"No! I love Gin-chan enough!" Kagura cried. "It's just that the milk carton is lying! Maybe if I were to kiss Gin-chan more…"

"You already kissed him at least a hundred times!" Shinpachi exclaimed.

Gin sighed. "Don't cry. It's too noisy." He stretched his furry body before he jumped down the floor from the sofa. "Maybe the curse will wear off after a day or two. Or maybe if I were to pee…"

"Don't even dare pee on the sofa, Gin-san!" Shinpachi scolded him like he would if Sadaharu were the one who did it.

"Ah, I know!" Kagura got over her initial shock after a while. "I should just forget about Gin-chan and name you little Sadaharu." She wiped her tears then and smiled at Gin. "Come here, little Sadaharu!"

"Don't give him a different name!" Shinpachi exclaimed. "And we still need to turn him back to normal if we want to receive salary at all!"

"But we don't receive salary anyway…" Kagura pouted.

"Well, that's true… And he seems less lazy when he's a pupp– He's already sleeping!" Shinpachi pointed at the now dozing off puppy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"That's a cute puppy, onee-san." A small girl came closer to Kagura and looked at the small puppy she was holding in her arm while she rode Sadaharu.

"This is little Sadaharu, the son of the big Sadaharu." Kagura grinned.

"Oy, don't treat me as your pet-arrff." Gin talked. And the little girl screamed as she ran away. "What with her-arrff?"

"It's because you talked!" Shinpachi appeared from behind them. "Gin-san, please refrain from talking while in that form. Or else the people might take interest in you and kidnap you! Or worse, think that you're an Amanto and bully you!"

"Well, if it isn't China girl and megane-boy." Both teens turned at the sound of a sadist's voice. Sougo was together with Hijikata, walking closer to the duo. They were in their uniform and seemed to be patrolling the area. "Danna-san isn't with you?"

"Ah, err… h-he was… sleeping! Yeah, he's sleeping inside the apartment!" Shinpachi reasoned out lamely.

"No, he's currently eating parfait while sleeping!" Kagura argued at Shinpachi childishly. "And then he was cursed!"

"Stop!" Shinpachi immediately cut her off before he looked at both Hijikata and Sougo. "Don't listen to her! She just finished watching her favorite TV show!" And then Kagura already started her daily ramblings of her favorite TV show, much to Shinpachi's relief.

Hijikata, on the other hand, didn't buy the obvious lie. Wherever that sweet-freak was, he just hoped that he wasn't making trouble for the Shinsengumi.

"Thanks, Shinpachi." Gin voiced quietly after the Shinsengumi members left. Shinpachi chuckled and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Gin rarely thanks anyone.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"I'm sorry, Gin-chan. Shinpachi doesn't want me to carry you barehanded because I might hurt you." Kagura said as she took her usual morning stroll in the park. Gin was inside a bag that she carried, with only his head out in order to breathe air.

"Arf." Gin answered. He personally thought that being cooped up in the bag was better than Kagura's suffocating hugs.

During the fourth day, he suddenly lost the ability to talk in human language. Kagura cried again, with real unhidden sadness this time, while also cursing all strawberry milks from her planet. Shinpachi was also feeling down.

It was already the seventh day that he was a puppy and they're already starting to lose hope that someone loves Gin enough to save him. They've managed to make several people kiss Gin within the past six days. Or rather, Kagura always knocked them out before making Gin lick their lips. Just remembering all those people and Amanto made Gin shudder in disgust. Some of those were people and Amanto he didn't even know and Kagura just happened to know of. But alas, none of them were able to lift the curse.

Gin sighed as he cooped up inside the bag. It wasn't usual but he felt depressed today. He's losing hope of ever being a human again. Not to mention he wasn't even a grown up dog but a puppy.

Maybe it was his karma. It's because he lived his life without any direction and also pushed away all the people who loved him in the past. He chose a life of solitude and peace. But it was also a life where he knew no one would love him as a lover would. Too bad he wouldn't be able to voice any of his ramblings now.

Kagura sat in the usual bench and ate her favorite dango. Many kids were playing in the park but she wasn't in the mood to join them. She could feel Gin's depression and she didn't want to appear so happy playing while he's stuck inside the bag. "We should go and play sometimes too, Gin-chan." She voiced as an act of encouragement but received no reply from the puppy inside the bag. "It seems Gin-chan is sleeping. I should buy him a strawberry parfait to improve his mood." She stood up and was about to carry the bag with her when she thought twice about it and just told Sadaharu to guard the bag.

After a while, Gin's head came out of the bag and noticed that the thieves from the other day were in the park as well, looking at him. How the hell did they know it was him!? No, of course they didn't know.

"We have to plan this carefully!" One of the Amantos voiced quietly, though he could still hear it clearly. "That puppy will cost us a million! For that damn rare Inugami to have a son..!"

Oh. So those idiots thought that he was indeed Sadaharu's son.

Everything happened so fast in the next few minutes. The Amantos ran towards Sadaharu and attacked the dog while one of them took the bag. Gin bit the Amanto's arm but he was hit hard and was knocked unconscious. Sadaharu bit every last one of them but it was already late since the Amanto carrying the bag already got away. The dog immediately ran after the thief.

The next moment Gin woke up, he was already inside an empty Japanese-styled room. The wooden floor was shiny and clean too. He stepped out of the bag and smelled the new environment. Somehow, the place smelled awfully familiar.

"It's a good thing that we're the ones who managed to rescue the small Inugami from those thieves." Gin's puppy ears perked up when he heard Sougo's voice from outside the room.

"Poor puppy… I wonder who he belongs to… I want to adopt him!" It was Kondou's voice this time. Gin started to walk on all fours towards the direction of the sound.

"I'm telling you it's the Yorozuya's dog." It was Hijikata's voice. "I don't want any dog here. I hate those smelly creatures so don't bring a dog here next time. And make sure to bring it back to the Yorozuya if you don't want those three idiots to barge in here and demand their dog back."

Sougo snickered. "You want him to come here, don't you? It's because you haven't seen Danna-san these past seven days that's why you're so irritated at everything."

"Ha? Why would I want to see that permy sweet-freak!?" Hijikata answered back, his voice almost a snarl. But Sougo was already so used to an angry Hijikata to care. And thus, the never-ending banter started.

"I know you actually want to see him! Don't deny it, Hijikata-asshole! Since he's gone for too long, I think he might have returned to those Jouis and rebelled against the government for real. We will have to hunt him down and kill him then!" Sougo teased, voice thick with utter sadism. He was surely hoping that Hijikata would lose it so they could have a serious fight.

Gin peaked at the half-opened door and saw Hijikata's angry expression looking at Sougo with deadly eyes. The cigarette stick dangling on his mouth mirrored the burning rage in his eyes. He was angry for real.

It was the first time Gin saw Hijikata with that expression. If he wasn't Gintoki, he would've already cringed from too much fear. But rather than fear, he felt more curious about the current situation. He didn't know they would talk about him even in his absence. He also didn't understand why Sougo would tease Hijikata about him. Or why Hijikata would get angry for that matter…

"That's enough, both of you." Kondou interrupted their imminent fight this time. He sighed as looked at Hijikata's angry expression. But deep within that, the commander could see that the man was upset at Sougo's words. He tapped Hijikata's shoulder once and smiled kindly at him. "Sakata's whereabouts is already being investigated by Yamazaki. Don't worry too much. Sakata is strong-willed. He wouldn't be recruited by his former allies that easily. I'm sure he's just doing one of those odd jobs again."

"Hn. I'm not worried about that sweet-freak's whereabouts. I'm more worried about the fact that the dog will stay here until the owner comes." And with that, Hijikata already turned around and left the premise with his usual composed and cool air.

"Still as stubborn as ever… Even though I already caught him in the act…" Sougo grinned sadistically, as if remembering something really fun, before he put his hands behind his head lazily. "I've just personally proven that sexually-frustrated men really do masturbate while thinking of their love interest… Too bad for the asshole, his feelings seem to be one-sided." His grin widened before he started walking away too, probably to plot Hijikata's demise again.

Kondou looked at the direction where Hijikata disappeared from and sighed. "I know you're worried, Toshi… But I'm sure that that guy of all people is fine…"

"What the hell was that about..?" Gin wondered aloud.

Kondou almost jumped from surprise when he heard the small bark of the puppy just beside his feet. "You're already awake, little one!" Kondou, it seemed, really loved animals, especially small ones. His eyes immediately turned lovey-dovey as he looked at the cute thing. "Come here, you cute little–ahhhh!" Gin bit him.

"Take that for trying to treat me as a dog, idiot monkey!" The puppy continuously barked at the crying commander. And yet, the idiot still chose to ignore the pain and carry the small animal in his arms.

"You don't have to be afraid! I'm not like those thieves who will hurt you!" Kondou smiled kindly as he hugged the puppy close to his chest. "We'll wait for your owner to come here so we can give you back."

"You idiot… There's no such thing. I'm the owner of my own self." Gin voiced. But he just sighed in the end since Kondou couldn't understand what he's saying anyway.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gin sighed as he tried to smell his way out of the secluded place. It's been three days since Kondou temporarily adopted him and yet Kagura and Shinpachi still wasn't anywhere to be found. Couldn't they figure out that he's in the Shinsengumi barracks?!

Kondou was way too sweet to animals for his liking. The man almost always nuzzled against his fur, always saying it smelled sweet and felt so fluffy, much to his chagrin. He was well-fed and cared for by the commander so he couldn't bite Kondou anymore like what he did in the first day. But he wasn't a real dog so he didn't like being touched in different parts of the body without any clothing or protection.

He didn't mind the fact that Kondou was bathing him since it was too damn hot during the middle of the day until the late afternoon, the season being summer. But the fact that he was naked in front of many men in the middle of training made him self-conscious somehow, even though it wasn't his nature. Or maybe he just felt so damn vulnerable since he had ceased to be human… while also started living in a foreign environment at the same time…

He also hadn't seen Hijikata since the first day. The man glared at him when he entered the kitchen, where Hijikata was eating, and told him to get lost. It seemed the man really hated dogs to the bone. But Gin thought that there may be more to it than that because Sougo snickered at that time. He was used to Hijikata's cold nature towards him even before he became a dog. But somehow, being treated like that when he felt so unsure of whether he'd ever be human again caused him to become even more depressed.

Sougo, on the other hand, was the person whom he expected to be sadist to animals. But unexpectedly, the man almost always sneaked up in the room he was in and petted him quietly all the time. The blonde always gave him encouraging words when they were alone, like 'Hijikata doesn't really hate you' or 'That man was just being so stubborn' or 'Hijikata likes your master a lot.' Although he wanted to complain that every statement was about Hijikata, he still felt calmed by Sougo's words somehow. He also licked Sougo's lips during the second day, but nothing happened. Although he already half-expected that, it was still thoroughly disappointing. He refused to kiss the gorilla though, no matter how much love Kondou gives him.

His ears suddenly perked up when he saw the gate. Not to mention it was open! He immediately ran towards it and was about to escape when he heard a very familiar snicker from behind one of the trees. His eyes darted towards one of the trees and saw Sougo's evil smirk as he was readying his bazooka. Gin then looked at where the man was aiming and saw Hijikata training in the backyard as usual.

And just as Gin was contemplating on whether it was good to notify Hijikata of the danger – since he was used to Sougo's failed attempts anyway – Sougo already fired the bazooka.

"Hijikata!" Gin didn't know what has gotten into him, but he suddenly found himself running towards the said man, intending to at least give him a hint of what was to come. Or rather, attempt to save the vice-commander if only he was more honest to himself.

Hijikata knew what Sougo was planning and what was to come. He also knew how to dodge skillfully without looking like he was trying to run for his life. But the appearance of the white little puppy running towards him was what he didn't expect.

Sougo's eyes also widened when he saw the puppy running towards the man he just targeted with his bazooka. "That little idiot..!" He knew there's no way the puppy would be able to evade his bazooka. And so he also ran towards the direction of his shot even though he knew that it was already too late. Hijikata would manage to evade his attack but the puppy would get caught in it. He growled in frustration as he decided that saving the puppy was more important than killing Hijikata… at least for now.

Hijikata gritted his teeth. He was planning on running away. But oh well, it was too late to run now. He hugged the puppy close to his chest as he readied for the impact of the bazooka. The sound of two explosions reached even outside the barracks and the people passing by the road immediately scurried away in fright, thinking there was some war going on inside the headquarter.

"I thought you hate little rascals?" Hijikata opened his eyes, not realizing when he closed them, when he heard Sougo's mocking voice from behind him. "Or maybe the owner of the dog is the one you really love." Even without looking, vice-commander knew the blonde was grinning.

"You bastard, Sougo…" He growled quietly. "You almost killed me!" He was glad that Sougo still have a heart and fired another shot in order to nullify the first one by hitting it.

"I was intending to do that… if only Danna-san's puppy didn't try to protect you." Sougo said without batting an eyelid, looking so disappointed at the failed result of his plans. And he even planned that one out carefully. "Is it alright?" He asked, looking intently on the unmoving white fur on Hijikata's chest.

Hijikata looked down and saw that the poor thing just lost consciousness from the impact of the explosion, but was nevertheless unharmed. He couldn't help but heave a small sigh of relief. He knew that Gin might be cold-hearted outside but he loved all those close to him dearly. That's one of the reasons why in Hijikata's eyes, that man was so… beautiful…

Sougo sighed. Hijikata looked like a lovesick fool who missed his lover just now – hugging the unconscious puppy while having a miserable expression, obviously missing the owner more than the thing he was hugging – and the blonde refused to look like that when he's thinking of an orange-haired idiot who only knew how to eat dango and nothing else.

It didn't take long for other members of the Shinsengumi to come rushing at the scene, thinking that the headquarters was attacked.

"What happened?" Kondou asked, but then he saw Sougo and he already knew what occurred without asking.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Why the hell are you inside my room?" Hijikata growled at the puppy, glaring at it as if waiting for it to answer his question immediately.

"I'd love to answer if only you'd understand, idiot." Gin answered lazily as he lay on his stomach on the wooden flooring of the vice-commander's room.

Hijikata sighed, obviously realizing that there's no way the puppy would answer him. He knew why the dog's there. Kondou went to see the shogun together with Matsudaira, thankfully bringing Sougo with them, so he was stuck inside the barracks. Kondou didn't want to leave the puppy together with the other reckless member of Shinsengumi so it was left in Hijikata's care. But alas, the dog always followed him wherever he went.

He sighed again before he ushered the dog to come closer to him. Gin, curious as to why Hijikata suddenly wanted him to come closer, walked closer lazily. The man carefully and gently carried the puppy and raised him in eye level. The puppy stared at him as well.

"Soft silvery-white fur and crimson eyes…" Hijikata voiced while looking at the puppy, irate expression beginning to change to something akin to longing. "You somehow remind of someone I know…" The vice-commander kissed the dog's forehead and smelled it, causing Gin to blush underneath all the fur. He fidgeted in Hijikata's hold but he didn't struggle. The kiss Hijikata gave him was very sincere, but it's different from the one Kondou and Sougo gave him. It also felt different somehow. He could feel his stomach tingling from unknown sensation.

Hijikata never liked dogs because they stink too much. But this particular dog he was carrying right now smelled sweet somehow, probably because its master also fed it strawberry parfait. He smiled at that, a smile filled with pain and longing. "Tell me… do you know where your owner is..?"

And at that, Gin's eyes widened in surprise. He'd never seen Hijikata this miserable before. He's eyes were pleading… It's as if Hijikata was sick with worry and he didn't know what to do anymore. It's been over two weeks since Gin turned into a dog by now. "I'm Gin." He answered back, but unable to be understood.

Hijikata closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I always… always know where he is… no matter what kind of mission or odd job he's taking… I always have the necessary network and information… Suddenly disappearing without any trace… That's just… too fucking annoying… I can't take it…" And he hugged Gin close to his chest tightly. "It seems your idiot of a master has already forgotten you and his kids… not even bothering to take you back…" Gin was about to answer back, intending to argue about the accusation, but then he felt the hot drops of liquid on his furred head. They were seldom at first, but then they came in rapid succession and he couldn't help but look up.

What he saw immediately made him freeze on the spot. Hijikata was crying… And the man was crying because of him of all things… He didn't know why Hijikata was so concerned about him – judging from the way Sougo teased the man about him – or why the man even wanted to know his whereabouts. He was curious but he was also sad that he couldn't even say 'I'm right here, idiot' and laugh.

"Where are you, you… fucking airhead..?" Hijikata whispered just as he hugged the puppy tighter.

"Mayora… I'm… here…" He barked, feeling awful for some reason. Normally, he would laugh at Hijikata for crying even though he was a very proud samurai. He would tell everyone about it and have fun while they tease and mock the demon Vice Commander. But as of now, he didn't think he could laugh while looking at that expression.

Hijikata was crying silently but his tears spoke of utter sadness and worry. His face was filled with pain and loneliness… and Gin would never have the gall to laugh at it, even if he's human right now. He could feel the trembling of Hijikata's warm body as he sobbed. And he didn't like it.

If only he could talk and say that he's fine…

Gin didn't know what came into him. Or even what actually happened. But he somehow didn't want to see Hijikata's pained expression anymore. He wanted to ease even a little of that pain and wipe some of those tears. And somehow, he ended up licking the man's quivering lips as an act of consoling.

"Sakata… you fucking idiot… I… I love you…" Hijikata voiced quietly after the puppy licked his lips.

And everything went into a halt.

Some minutes passed by and the two of them just stared at one another in utter shock. Gin suddenly turned back to normal with a 'poof' sound and landed on Hijikata. The Vice Commander's eyes were awfully wide as he stared at the man in front of him, tears flowing down his cheeks momentarily forgotten. He was sitting with legs apart while Gin was sitting on his lap, legs straddling his waist. Not to mention Gin was… naked.

Everything happened so fast that somehow, one second he was carrying a white puppy with crimson eyes just like its master and another second Gin was in front of him, seducing him with the man's utter nakedness.

Gin's eyes were wide as well as he stared at Hijikata. One moment he felt that the man needed consolation and, just as he finished giving it, the demon vice commander suddenly whispered those three words. It really shocked him to the core. Not to mention those words thoroughly pierced the curse that was slowly eating his whole existence. And now, he couldn't help the blush that had crept up on his cheeks.

Hijikata, on the other hand, had long exceeded the shock and was now looking at Gin's face and body. Gin was naked… and blushing in front of him… And Hijikata couldn't help but exploit the view despite himself. If this was a dream, then he'd want to see more. But if this was reality… Oh no…

"Sakata..!" Hijikata was finally able to recover… at last. He immediately tried to stand up, causing Gin to fall down the floor with a loud thud. The silver-haired samurai cursed loudly and was about to make some indignant statements to the vice-commander when he felt the warmth of a clothing suddenly wrap around him. He looked up and saw Hijikata's trying-to-be calm face even though the blush on the man's cheeks was more prominent than he wanted. It seemed Hijikata gave him a blanket for cover.

For a moment it was awkward. But then Gin grinned at him and Hijikata – heart skipping a beat at the sight of Gin covered in his blanket, like a small cheeky child looking up at his parent – scowled in return, making the atmosphere less tense.

"What… happened to you..? And also… did you just… turn to human… from a dog just now..?" Hijikata asked, wanting to know what happened more than anyone. He suddenly realized how much he really missed Gin. He wanted to hug the man and hold him tight for a while. But he refrained from doing anything that might embarrass him. And most of all, he wanted to know why the hell Gin was in his barracks when supposedly it was the dog instead.

"Err…" Gin chuckled as he scratched his cheek with a finger. "Where should I start..?" His voice was hoarse from lack of use. The silver-haired man realized how much he missed being human. And so, in his haste to use his vocal chord for much longer, he told Hijikata about the story of the cursed strawberry milk from Kagura's planet.

"So you got cursed because of your stupidity and gluttony." Hijikata voiced after a while, glaring at the man kneeling down the floor in front of him. Gin looked utterly cute and eatable covered only in his blanket. But he couldn't believe he was sick with worry, to the point of getting too depressed, and this was the reason. And now that he remembered it, he even cried as he confessed in front of Gin! That was too fucking embarrassing! Not to mention Gin said that the only way to lift the curse was to kiss the person who loved him the most. Yes, he loved Gin but that was way too out of line! Too embarrassing! He wanted to perform hara-kiri now.

Although, it seemed a little out of character that Gin hadn't made fun of him about it yet. The reason why he refused to say his feelings out loud was the fact that Gin was like Sougo in some ways. The ex-joui would definitely mock and tease him all the time.

"Aren't you going to laugh?" Hijikata asked quietly as he looked at Gin directly. Gin looked up at him in confusion, making him sigh. "You heard everything, didn't you?" He half-expected Gin to grin at him and tease him about it. But Gin's reaction to the statement somehow gave him enough courage to continue.

Gin's eyes widened as he stared at Hijikata. He didn't know the man would ask about it so directly even though he was trying his best to avoid the topic. Not to mention the man's gaze was making him warm all over, making him fidget in his position as he averted his gaze to the side. His cheeks couldn't help but color up too. "I… don't know what you mean..." He mumbled incoherently.

"You don't know what I mean?" Hijikata growled quietly. He could feel veins of annoyance showing themselves on his face as he stared at Gin. And a huge feral smirk showed on his lips as he immediately pushed the surprised Yorozuya down the floor, straddling the silver-haired man with his legs. "So you're saying you didn't hear what I just confessed earlier, Gintoki?" He asked, eyes darkening with lust and longing, making Gin's eyes widen.

"Oogushi–!" Gin gasped when a pair of hungry lips suddenly assaulted his open mouth.

Hijikata knew that kissing Gin would mean the end of their fragile relationship. It would mean Gin's avoidance of him and most likely disgust of him. It would mean the silver-haired man's total rejection of his existence if ever. He knew it would mean all those things, and yet he still couldn't help but hug and kiss the hell out of the shocked Yorozuya as he pried the blanket off the man. How he missed Gin…

Hijikata gripped both of Gin's wrists tightly as he kissed the man hungrily. The kiss was forceful and dominating, but it as nevertheless full of his cooped up feelings and frustrations. It was filled with his longing and his worry, making the act totally torrid and suffocating.

The vice commander ended the kiss with a small peck on Gin's lower lip before he pulled away to have a look at the probably angry and disgusted man underneath him. The view that met his gaze, however, made him smirk and lick his own lips.

Gin was panting and blushing up to the tips of his ears. His eyes were dazed as he stared at Hijikata, obviously not used to being kissed with so much force. His lips were swollen and trembling. The normally lazy and calm man was breathing raggedly and quietly shivering in pleasure from the sudden intimate act.

Hijikata smiled to himself before he leaned down and kissed the man's forehead, inhaling Gin's sweet scent. He never liked sweet scents but Gin's scent was the one thing he'd never get tired of inhaling. He buried his face on Gin's permy hair, feeling bliss at the fact that Gin hadn't pushed him… yet. But then his eyebrows furrowed at the strange scent on the Yorozuya's head before his eyes widened when he recognized the smell.

Gin was just finally able to recover from intense shock of being kissed – that being his first kiss since he wasn't able to have any lover before – when he heard the unmistakable growl coming from the man on top of him.

"…You smell of Kondou-san's shampoo." Hijikata muttered quietly, making Gin blinked in confusion. Yes, of course he smelled of Kondou's shampoo since the man used his own shampoo on the puppy's furry body every time he'd take Gin for a bath. There was nothing wrong with it so he didn't know what was making Hijikata angry.

"Gorilla, I mean, Kondou-san always uses his own shampoo every time he bathes me." Gin answered offhandedly, not realizing that he was digging his own grave.

He only seemed to have realized it when he saw Hijikata's sharp deadly eyes and angry expression. "…I hate it." The Vice Commander voiced.

Gin finally found a little semblance of himself and he couldn't help but grin. "Are you by any chance… jealous, Oogushi-kun?" He wanted to tease Hijikata a little since it would be fun to see the man trying to spout some nonsense to deny such accusation. But the words he heard next surprised him a lot.

"What if I am?" Hijikata gazed at him seriously, as if challenging him to give a satisfactory answer with the man's gaze alone. "What would you do about it, Gintoki?"

Gin was surprised at the answer and awfully shocked too that Hijikata called him by name without batting an eyelid. He could feel his whole body turning hot at the gaze the man was giving him. And yet he could also feel the undeniable lift of his heart at the words. In the end, he chuckled and grinned at Hijikata again.

"I will do this." He voiced before he circled his two arms on Hijikata's neck and pulled the man down towards him. He immediately kissed the surprised Vice Commander just as he rolled their body over so he was now on top. He then sat on Hijikata's stomach so he was straddling the man by the waist.

Hijikata reached his hand up to caress Gin's cheek. He couldn't believe that the puppy that he kept on ignoring was the person he loved.

Gin saw the same lonely eyes that Hijikata wore when he asked the puppy about its master. The silver-haired male grinned then. "I'm here, Hijikata." His grin widened when he was finally able to say what he wanted to say for some time now.

Hijikata looked confused for a while just as his hand froze on Gin's cheek. But then his lonely eyes turned relieved and glad. He sat up and circled an arm on Gin's waist just as the silver-haired male circled his arms around the Vice Commander's neck. They lingered an inch away from each other for a moment before their lips connected once more. The kiss was sweet and gentle this time, but nevertheless longer than the first one.

Gin gasped as he was suddenly carried by Hijikata onto the Japanese-style bed. The man gently put him down just as the Vice Commander removed his own clothes and joined Gin on the bed.

"Hijikata, I… I still don't know what I feel for you… It might not be what I think it is."

"It's fine… Even if you don't love me now… I'll make sure that in the end, you will fall for me deeply… and that you will fall only for me." Hijikata voiced quietly, giving the silver-haired male underneath him another mind-drowning kiss.

Gin was still dazed after the kiss but he still managed to utter words that he knew he wouldn't say if he was in his right mind. "Thank you… for turning me back to human again… Thank you… for loving me the most… Hijikata…" Hijikata's smile then was something Gin would never forget even if he were to die. And at that moment, he realized he not only loved seeing Hijikata's smile but also loved to be the cause of it.

Or maybe… he really was in love with Hijikata…

Afterwards was the quiet and yet sincere expression of their love to one another. Gin was unsure of his feelings at first, but Hijikata guided him until he was already initiating things. They were shy as they explored each other's body but grew bold with each moment. Their lovemaking was forceful and yet also gentle in some ways.

Gin's back arched with every thrust. He tried his best not to scream and moan too loud but it was proving to be a very difficult task, especially since Hijikata was making him moan on purpose by hitting his prostrate with each thrust. His fingernails dug deeply on Hijikata's back as he came on both their chests and stomachs.

Hijikata shivered and came seconds after him, filling him with the man's cum, before the Vice Commander collapsed on top of him. Both of them were out of breath for a while and no one actually talked. All they could hear was each other's quiet and fast heartbeat and breathing.

"Don't…" Hijikata hugged the man underneath him tight, not even bothering to remove his softening member inside Gin. "Don't leave like that again… Gintoki…"

Gin was uncomfortable at the liquid pouring out of his hole but the warm embrace from Hijikata was keeping him from complaining. He felt so strangely satisfied even though he just did it with another man, not to mention he was the one underneath. He also felt strangely… happy.

"You waited too long, didn't you..?" Gin voiced quietly just as he hugged Hijikata back. He grinned as he voiced. "I won't be leaving any time soon, Toshirou." He sighed when he heard the man's soft snores. His eyelids had gotten heavier too. He vaguely remembered that Hijikata was still inside him before he slowly felt the pull of slumber.

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.END.

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Ren-sama's Notes:

Well, that ended nicely. I didn't give much detail to the lovemaking scene though. Sorry about that. So, review? ˆoˆ

February 10, 2014