[Gintama] Immortal

——dark rage.

At the end of the fierce battle, she accidentally attached to a living person who still had breath. When she was pierced through the heart, the sharp pain was fleeting, and the consciousness of this body stopped abruptly, followed by the darkness of death.

The slit between life and death is narrow, there is no other person and no concept of time.

That soul carried the memory of this life away, and she stood patiently where she was, waiting for herself to return to the present world again, to return to the misty mountains of Kumano—or, like the last few times, to spy on the distant and vague memory.

There was no warning when Pang Ran's anger hit, like a huge torrent, she was sucked into the bottom of the water before she could react.

It is memory, but not the memory of human beings, and it is emotion, but it is not the emotion belonging to individual creatures.

The anger that seems to swallow everything is overwhelming, dyeing all perceptions in pitch black.

It seemed to become her anger, or she was already one with that anger, the black emotion was so huge that there was no limit, she felt that she was about to be unable to breathe, and she just wanted to find an outlet for this pain——

shhh-

A bell rang in the dark.

The bell sounded so weak that it was an illusion, but the next moment it rang again unmistakably.

Someone is ringing.

The boundless darkness seemed to be carved out of an area, and the ethereal ringtone gradually became clear.

As if staring at a distant memory, she couldn't see the facial features of the man clearly, but could only see the figure in long clothes dragging the ground, ringing the bell, turning around, raising the wrist, dancing the fan, like an elegant crane, or like pure white snow, black and white The hair is tied up with sandalwood paper, and the tassels of the former sky crown hang down like wisteria.

— Miko.

The colorful ribbons of the Kagura bells were thrown into the air, and the crisp sound of the bell spread like ripples on the dark water.

Unhurried, calm and serene, just praying to God—to this black rage—to her, without distraction.

Calm down.

Calm down.

The ancient prayers were repeated, and the huge anger gradually faded, curled up like a giant beast, and slowly fell asleep in the dark.

shhh-

Before her consciousness faded, she heard the light ringing of the Shenraku bell again.

……

The leaden gray sky was dark and dull, and the icy wind blew across the wilderness. A young man without a sheath around his waist squatted on the edge of the battlefield, a bloody broken knife stuck in the ground, and a few severed fingers were scattered not far away.

Yae walked behind the young man, there was no sound of footsteps, but the other party seemed to have noticed her presence, and turned his face slightly.

It was a young face, with ordinary features and gentle brows and eyes, and it was almost impossible to see the wrinkled appearance when crying before.

Seeing her, the young man seemed a little surprised, his eyes widened slightly, and he quickly returned to calm.

"Hey, the god of death is actually a woman."

In a word, Yae almost hit him with a punch.

As if seeing her intentions, the young man scratched his cheek and looked away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be disrespectful, but... a little surprised."

He showed a silly smile, and when he said the next words, his gentle expression remained unchanged.

"Could I trouble you? Since she is Miss Death, she should be able to know... where is my dead body?"

The black crows ripped the flesh from the dead body, and more crows fell with their friends.The young man looked at the battlefield, as if lost in memory, his voice softened slightly.

"If it really doesn't work, you can help me tell them 'don't look for it anymore'."

He moved the corner of his mouth, as if he wanted to make a smile: "'I'm already dead, the corpses and so on, anyway, it's all smashed up, it doesn't matter if you can't find them.' Just this sentence is fine. , can you please convey it to me?"

Yae raised her face, there was nothing to see in the gray sky, but she still let her eyes stay there.

"To whom?"

The young man blinked his eyes slowly.

"We came out of the same private school, so we can be said to be classmates."

"...A classmate? I see."

Withdrawing his gaze, Yae lowered his head and looked at the young man who was still squatting beside the battlefield.

She said slowly, "You should go."

If the human soul stays in the world for too long, it is easy to be entangled in obsession and become a ghost.

It is very annoying to be rescued by long-winded monks, it is better to go simply by yourself.

After a moment of silence, the young man stood up, smiled and said to her, "So you are here to take me away?"

Seeing that she didn't speak, the young man rubbed his hands on his clothes in embarrassment.

"I don't know why, I always feel that you are a little familiar... Ah, that's not what it means! I'm definitely not trying to strike up a conversation! It's just... I just care."

"...Yes," Yae said suddenly, and she raised her eyes, "I'm here to take you away."

Under the stare of the young man, she said his name:

"And tree."

The child who accidentally fell into the river, sobbed and almost cried all the way by her hand.

Her haori was draped over her shoulders, and the little child was not so much wearing her clothes as if she was wrapped in loose clothes, and he held her hand tightly when he sobbed.

Crying because of a small setback, the child of Matsushita Village School who once made her feel very happy.

The child's name is Heshu.

The young man stared at her fixedly, his pupils seemed to be shimmering suddenly, and his gentle expression suddenly became vivid.

"... Yae?" He cautiously lowered his voice, as if he was afraid that if the voice was louder, she would disappear.

Yae waved his hand to cover his head.

"What about the honorific title?"

"...When did you ever have an honorific title?" The young man's voice became helpless.

Yae glanced at him: "Always."

Leaving the battlefield behind, the two walked side by side as they chatted like old friends after a long absence.

He didn't ask her why she looked different, and didn't mention the reason for her appearance. The young man just chatted with her, such as the current score between Gintoki and Takasugi, and a young man named Tatsuma Sakamoto. Voice, Gui forever black and beautiful hair.

He didn't mention the part about the war, nor did he mention the private school students who are no longer alive, as if the past few years were just a happy little routine, she just went on a long trip, and when she came back, everyone was there, and the chaotic private school was still the same It looked too lively.

Gintoki and Takasugi had a quarrel when they were shopping in Flower Street. When they got up in the middle of the night, someone saw Gui secretly nursing her hair by the well. When talking about this, the young man smiled happier than her, and tried his best to wipe the pimples from the corners of his eyes. tears.

Yae had imagined this conversation.

When the other party is old and takes his last breath on the other side that belongs to the living, she will accompany him through the last journey.

At that time, what should we talk about?

Have you met someone important?

When you became a parent for the first time, were you so happy that you secretly cried?

Have you found something you want to do?

Have you become who you want to be?

What do you particularly regret?The best moment of your life?

So many, she really has so many questions.

But now I can't ask any questions.

not like this.

Obviously life is not over yet, and obviously there is not even a single gray hair, and many questions have not even been answered.

The moment she imagined was not like this.It shouldn't have come so early.

"That's great," the young man tilted his head slightly, his voice filled with satisfaction from the bottom of his heart, "I can finally see you again."

"It feels like I went back all at once." He didn't finish the next sentence because Yae knew what he meant.

It was early autumn in Hagi City.

Autumn poked its head out among the slightly curly and yellowed leaves, and the pine needle moss was soft and thick on the ground. She held the child's hand, and the mottled light and shadow fell to the ground through the gaps in the leaves.

The wind blows, the leaves rustle and fall.

The two seemed to be on the way back to the private school again, but this time she no longer needed to hold each other's hand.

"Heshu," Yae knew that he had to say something, and it would be too late if he didn't speak.

The young man looked at her gently.

"Thank you," said the little child when he took her hand, "I was very happy."

In the memory, two figures, one big and one small, walked and walked, and then she was the only one left.

The translucent figure of the young man blurred into pieces of light spots, and finally the smiling face disappeared like melting snow——

To the shore she could never go to.

There was no one around, and Yae stood there for a long time.

She waited for a long time, but she didn't wait for the wet emotion to roll down from her eyes.

……

At night, Edo Castle is sleepless.

The sweaty doctor, holding the medicine box, hurried across the central austrian corridor regardless of etiquette.

The Okozashiki where the general is located is surrounded by guards, the candlelight is flickering, and the latticed courtyard painted by gold clay looks like countless eyes, watching the figure writhing in pain below.

"My lord!!!" "Cheer up, my lord!!!"

The servants shouted loudly, but it was useless.

"There's an assassin!!" With his hair in a mess, Tokugawa fixed his eyes and shouted into the air, his bloodshot eyeballs bulging as if he was staring at something. There are only servants who have been loyal to the Tokugawa family from generation to generation.

"Assassin! Catch the assassin!!"

"There are no assassins, there are no assassins in the room, my lord." The people next to him repeated repeatedly, but Tokugawa Sadasaka seemed as if he couldn't hear their voices, with bulging veins on his neck, and his eyes were fixed on something.

As if reaching a certain critical point, his figure, which was still twitching in pain before, suddenly froze.

After the strange convulsion subsided, Tokugawa raised his eyelids, and the muscles on his face maintained a rigid posture, and said in a calm and terrifying voice: "Get out."

Ping Yu, who was often accompanied by the general, walked forward with hesitation on his knees: "...My lord?"

"Everyone get out of here."

With a flick of his drooping face, Tokugawa Sadasaka suddenly raised his voice: "Get out! If you don't want to turn around, get out!!"

He grabbed the candlestick next to him, and the luxurious screens fell down one after another, and the people around stepped on each other and fled out of the room.

The messy Okozaki suddenly fell into a brief silence.

Tokugawa's fixed body sat down slumped, his eyelids drooped, covering the cloudy eyeballs that seemed to be turning inside.

His fingers twitched slightly, as if he was fighting with something inside his body, he suppressed his movements so hard that his veins bulged.

"...What exactly do you want?!"

In Tokugawa Dingding’s conscious world, there are still gorgeous flower and bird screens, hollowed-out metal incense burners, and lacquered wood furniture made by Kinmakie.

The only difference is that Yae is dragging him by the back, pulling him away from the dominance of his conscious world.

She dragged him out of the room, and knocked down countless screen candlesticks along the way. The candles ignited when they touched the ground, and the Edo Castle in this conscious world quickly burned. The Daguang Room of the Imperial Palace.

"You... a bold traitor! A sinner who deserves to be hacked into pieces! A damn monster!!" Tokugawa decided to hiss and curse her, as if she had never heard of it, she continued to drag people out until she reached this consciousness Go in the darkness of the sea border.

She wants to end this stupid war.

The No. 13 general of the Tokugawa family, who conquered barbarians, is of great use even if he is a puppet of the Heavenly Daoists.

She wants to take home.

The original owner's will is collapsing, and this false Edo city is like a sinking ship, creaking in the raging fire as a sign of collapse.

Being dragged by her collar and dragged forward, without retainers or guards, Tokugawa Sadasaka's cursing gradually died down, and he became frightened.

"What do you want?!"

He twisted his face.

"What do you want to take away from me?!"

"Relax."

Yae didn't look back.

"You are more useful alive than dead. I just borrow your body for a while, and I will return it to you when it is used up."

Her voice was calm, in fact, the pain was so painful that she could hardly stand up.

The other party has been desperately rejecting her consciousness.

Just like a piece of clothing, it can only be worn by one person at a time, and it is difficult for one body to contain two consciousnesses of different origins competing with each other.

Sakura was an exception that time, she was able to manipulate a body that did not belong to her with the permission of the owner of the body.

Now she forcibly entered Tokugawa's Dingding conscious world, just like breaking into someone else's territory, and was extremely violently repelled, and the high-pressure pain could almost crush her non-existent internal organs.

Yae dragged Tokugawa Sadasaka to the edge of his conscious world, and further on, there was darkness without borders.

"Go to sleep."

The moment she let go of the other party's collar, an outside voice suddenly broke in.

"grown ups."

The voice was low and calm, completely different from the flustered servants before, like a deep and dark well.

Through Tokugawa's fixed perspective, Yae saw the figure kneeling on one knee in front of him.

Black clothes, silver hair, pale and thin face reflected by the flickering candlelight.

A scar from the left frontal cleft to the right cheekbone.

Yae froze suddenly.

--hazy.