Winter Days

As Catherine drove away, both Gin and Kagura shouted out towards her direction.

"Tonight, I drink your blood!" Gin cried out.

"That ugly pig-faced cow!" Kagura shouted, waving her fists in the air.

The group then began running after her, taking over a taxi in the process while Hiroto walked down and stood beside Otose.

"Just a minute. What're you guys doing?" Shinpachi shouted, running after them, as Kagura drove off with Gin in the passenger seat.

"Waaaaait!" Shinpachi shouted, running forward to jump into the taxi.

"They're gone." The taxi driver said, as his passengers huddled next to each other. "They drove off! Dammit!"

"Why aren't you doing anything? She took your scooter." Otose asked Hiroto.

"I don't have to handle every little thing." Hiroto said, then turning to walk down a path, saying, "Well? Aren't you going to follow and talk to her?"

Otose took out a cigarette and lit it, saying, "You know where she's going?"

"Of course." Hiroto said, "What's the easiest place to escape the town from?"

"The docks," Otose said, walking behind Hiroto.

As the two continued on, Hiroto asked her, "What are you going to do when you find her?"

*BOOM*

Faint explosions could be heard in the distance, as Gin, Kagura, and Shinpachi continued to chase Catherine down through town.

"I'll just get her to listen to a story," Otose said.

Hiroto shook his head, saying, "You're too kind for your own good sometimes. It's going to come back and bite you."

Otose blew out some smoke and said. "I helped out two people I found, and it didn't turn out so bad."

"And yet, they still never pay their rent on time," Hiroto said, as they reached the docks just as the sun was rising.

"DIEE!!!" Kagura's shout resounded through the docks, as a scooter drove out from an alley followed by the taxi they commandeered, flying out of it.

"Deeeaaaattthhhhh!!" Kagura shouted out, as the car flew out past some warehouses, straight above the ocean.

"What?/ What?!" Gin and Shinpachi muttered out, as they flew in the air and plummeted into the ocean.

*SPLASH*

Catherine looked at the place where they fell into the ocean for a moment before starting to drive off, but then Otose came out and said, "Too bad. I rather liked you."

Blowing out some smoke, she continued, "That part about you supporting your family. Was that a lie, too?"

"Otose," Catherine said. "You're a good person. But you're such a dope. It's okay to like helping people, but if you overdo it, bad people like me will take advantage of you."

"It's part of my character." Otose said, blowing out smoke, "Too late to change. It's how I got to meet some interesting people. Want to hear about it?"

Hiroto leaned on a wall off to the side in an alleyway, listening on.

Otose blew out a drag of smoke and said, "There these two people, you see. It was a cold, snowy day. On a whim, I went out to visit my late husband's grave."

-----

On an unknown snowy day, inside of the graveyard was Otose, walking with a basket of dumplings, flowers, and water. She approached a grave and knelt in front of it, laying out the food and flowers.

Behind a gravestone, was a man with white hair, leaning on it. Next to him was another man, with red hair. The two seemed to be disheveled, sitting on the ground in a graveyard on this cold winter day.

Hiroto seemed to have a sword rested on his shoulder as he watched Otose pray.

"Oi, granny." Gin called out. "Mind if we eat those dumplings? I'm so hungry I'm about to croak."

Hiroto kicked at Gin's leg and said, "Oi, this is a grave. Do you want to be cursed by ghosts for taking their food?"

Otose chuckled and said, "It's fine. I'm giving them to my husband. Ask him."

Hiroto eyed Otose for a moment, as Gin got up and grabbed some dumplings, eating and throwing a handful towards Hiroto.

Hiroto ate the dumpling as he leaned his head back, staring at the snow falling onto him.

"What did my husband say?" Otose asked, watching the two of them eat.

"Ooom" Gin choked for a bit after eating too quickly, taking a drink while coughing out.

Hiroto stayed silent, as Gin finished eating and stood up, saying, "Dead men don't talk."

Otose then spoke up and asked, "So, what are you two then? Good men? Bad men?"

Hiroto chuckled and said...

-----

"You know what he told me when I asked them?" Otose asked Catherine.

"I have no interest in the rambling of strangers," Catherine said.

Otose said, "He told me, "Neither. Just an idiot chained down." and, "I won't ever forget this debt. After all, you're an old lady. Probably going to kick the bucket soon. But until that happens, we'll watch over her for you," He said."

Catherine drove towards Otose, preparing to run over her as a figure emerged out of the water. From the side of the alley, Hiroto held onto his scabbard, ready.

"Haaa!" Gin shouted as he stood in front of Otose, swinging his wooden sword and knocking Catherine off the scooter.

Hiroto then jumped forward, grabbing the scooter before it crashed, saying, "Don't worry, I got you."

"You got your priorities all mixed up!" Otose shouted out.

"No, I don't! Do you know how much it costs to repair a scooter?! Even your money was on the back of this! Shouldn't you be more grateful? Like, voiding our rent for 2 months?" Hiroto said.

"Tsk." Otose clicked her tongue and said, "Just for this month."

"Yes!!" Both Gin and Hiroto shouted in victory, as the police started to arrive, with Kagura and Shinpachi getting out of the water.

Standing next to each other, Otose said to Gin and Hiroto, "You remember that day when you both said you were going to watch over me?"

Hiroto and Gin looked at each other, before Gin said, "Yeah? What about it?"

Otose blew out a drag of smoke, saying, "It's not so bad to help people now and then."

And the police came and cuffed Catherine up, Gin said, "Nice way to show her gratitude to you for giving her a job. People who can't keep their obligations are simply hideous, old hag."

"Like some people who live on the second floor of someone's house without paying rent?" Otose commented.

Hiroto chuckled and said, "You already said you'll void the rent for this month."

"Yeah yeah," Otose said.

Gin continued and said, "People are all kind of hideous, in a way."

Hiroto immediately answered, "Like your face?"

"Oi. You want me to kill you?" Gin asked.

"How dare you slander your senior," Hiroto said, looking offended. "After all, I had done to look after all of you. Where's Zura when you need him, he would always look up to me, compared to you. You're going to break my heart."

"Sure, keep playing that card and see how it backfires on you." Gin said as a policeman walked over to them, with Catherine in tow.

"Thank you for cooperating with our investigation." The policeman said, dragging a cuffed Catherine away.

"You turned out to be quite the stray cat," Otose said, looking at Catherine, who looked away in turn. "Cats are animals that claw at things, though."

Catherine was in disbelief from what she heard. Gin then said, "You hit the nail on the head."

"It's too late for you to change now. But if you're down and out and need a meal in the future, come by the back of the shop." Otose said as Catherine turned towards her, tearing up, "I'll let you have some leftovers."

"Otose, you're a fool," Catherine said quietly.

Hiroto checked the condition of his scooter, saying, "She really is. So make sure you thank the fool properly."

Catherine said nothing else, as she was driven away by the police, leaving Hiroto, Gin, Otose, Kagura, and Shinpachi on the docks.

Gin then said, "It's the first time I've seen you not get angry when someone called you a fool."

Otose replied, "I have my moments. You guys did me a favor today, and since I already gave you this month's rent for free, I'll let Kagura's tab slide for now."

"You're serious?!" Both Gin and Hiroto shouted out. "Thanks, granny!"

"We'll be sure to pay the month after next!" Gin said.

Otose then continued, "Heck, I'll write off all of the late rent you owe me. And the month after next to boot."

Gin and Hiroto celebrated together. "Hooray! Yippee!"

"Stop trying to act cute! It's disgusting coming from two grown men." Otose shouted.