Disclaimer: I own none of Hideaki Sorachi's characters, which is okay because really they tend to destroy things a lot.
Rated: Mild, despite the fact that Okita is in it.
Summary: Growing up. Even Okita has to do it, eventually.
A/N: I'm so happy they have a Gintama category now!
Growing Up
"It's just a phase he's going through," Kondo says when a nine-year-old Sougou drops water balloons (filled with ice) on Hijikata's head. "He'll stop when he grows up a bit."
It's also just a phase when a 10-year-old Sougou sets snares ("I'm sure he was trying to catch rabbits not you, Toshi") and an 11-year-old Sougou digs pits (with spikes). He fills the holes after Kondo falls in (luckily avoiding the spikes) but Hijikata doesn't think that is much proof of Sougou growing up. Especially when the next week the boy starts reading books about how to create quicksand.
Later, when Sougou is hitting that awkward adolescent age but still managing to beat the snot out of everyone in the dojo ("He didn't realize he was using a real sword while you only had a bokken, Toshi, don't make it sound like he did it on purpose") Hijikata is still certain that any growing up the boy is doing is only on the outside.
As far as Hijikata can tell, getting taller just means it's easier for Sougou to try to strangle him.
"It's just a phase he's going through," Kondo still says as the two of them watch the fried edges of a wall steam gently after being the recipient of a missile intended for Toshirou. "He'll stop when he grows up . . . ."
"Unless I kill him first," Hijikata mutters. Kondo only laughs.
They patrol the city and Sougou doesn't grow up enough to stop asking for candy, or shirking work when it gets boring, or destroying entire buildings fighting Kagura-chan, or trying to poison him every couple of weeks.
"See," Hijikata snorts, "he'll never grow up"; but Kondo is sometimes surprisingly observant and doesn't laugh so easily this time.
They patrol the city and see a lot of dark things that no one any age should see and they do a few dark things themselves, although always for a reason that recedes sometimes but still shines brightly in the distance, in Kondo's smile. And gradually Hijikata notices that Sougou is spending fewer of his infrequent days off lounging around headquarters, and more time out in the city doing things that occasionally leaves him stumbling in late with dust or something darker and wetter on his clothes. After the Rengogukan incident Hijikata realizes it had been weeks since Sougou has last really tried to kill him, and when they go on a mission armed with rifles and not even a potshot flies his way, it's something Toshirou can't ignore.
Somehow instead of being relieved Hijikata just feels a cold heavy feeling settle in his gut. After all this time, Sougou is growing up. The problem with that is that growing up isn't a phase you can get through by growing up more. The only way to stop growing up is to die.
Sometimes, when he sees Sougou practicing hard instead of just sleeping, Hijikata wishes they could go back to when they were waiting (praying) for him to grow up. Then the next day Sougou will attempt to run him over while chasing a criminal and the unease abates, a little. They all have more than one foot on the road, even Kondo knows that, but there are still many steps to go.
So Sougou may be growing up (along with the rest of them) but he isn't close to finished.
He may get there yet. If Hijikata doesn't kill him first.