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The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.
Somewhere in the deep waters offshore from the island jail in which Kondo Isao and Katsura Kotaro were held, a screech pierced the darkness.
“What are you doing, you annoying perm?!”
“Saving energy,” Gintoki squawked, both arms wrapped firmly around Hijikata's shoulders, legs kicking furiously in the water.
“You’re drowning me, get off!” With a few sharp kicks, Gintoki's hands came apart and he screamed loudly, flailing in the water, ironically like a fish out of it. Hijikata tried to pull himself through the dark, deep waves before the hands latched on again, but the desperate fingertips found their way round his neck. “Let go!”
“Gin-chan can't swim,” Kagura called from where she somehow managed to gracefully doggy paddle along. “Mother usually brings arm bands for him when we go to the pool.”
“You can't swim?” Hijikata scoffed. It was taking all his strength to tread water with Gintoki attached to his torso like a koala.
“I walk on land, why do I need to swim? Am I a fish? No!”
They bobbed slowly towards shore though they were still far from reaching it. Hijikata panted loudly and complained a lot, swear words punctuating each pull through the choppy waves. Since the boat had gone down in flames along with the lifeboats, they'd had to paddle ashore. Which hadn't been part of Gintoki's plan. The human armband reluctantly let his new attachment cling on, but he was one more wave over his head away from delivering a crushing elbow to the gut to dislodge the permed parasite. Sougo had managed to find a large plank of wood and he surfed efficiently alongside the breast-stroking Kondo, the frantically front-crawling Shinpachi and the still very much floating Kagura (even though she was doggy paddling).
“We need … hah … to give you lessons.” Hijikata panted. “Why can't you latch onto one of your disciples?”
“Oh yeah, let me just glide on over. You just happened to be the nearest buoyant object.”
“Why did you never feel it important to learn? I'm sure the Jouis have crossed a fair few torrent rivers. How did you manage that?”
“Zura swims like an otter.”
“You and your terrorist friends.” Hijikata cursed but Gintoki simply cackled ominously in reply – until he choked on sea water.
“We're all terrorists now!” he guffawed. “You Shinsengumi lot are no better than Zura any more.”
“I'll drown you,” the comment was stapled with a grunt as a wave of water slapped him in the face. Hijikata thought he heard Gintoki mutter something about karma, but his attention was diverted to the shoreline.
“I wonder if Kondo-san got away without trouble.”
The night sky felt heavy above them, a thick coating of clouds hanging in the salty air, unfaltering under the strong winds that battered those of them below. The sea was swallowing them up though they struggled to stay afloat, gravity pulling them under the surging waves. Several times Hijikata choked on a mouthful of seaweed. Overall, the word Hijikata would use to describe the elements today was overpowering. And himself, helpless. He was determined to get Kondo back ... but at what cost?
The limpet on his back wriggled to adjust its grip.
“Where the hell are you touching?”
“Your hips! Your hips! Jeez! What are you, a high school girl on a train?!”
“You definitely touched something else.”
“The water's dark. Sue me.”
“If that was on purpose I'm drowning you right now.”
“I'm telling you it wasn't. And good luck with getting out of here without the shiroyasha, mastermind of covert operations.”
“At the moment you're just a liability.”
“Me, and not the vice commander who couldn't command his troops?”
“Shut up.”
“The lights are still out,” Gintoki suddenly adopted a sombre tone. He was looking towards the prison walls where guards occasionally peered through shelters. “I'm sure that means things are going well for Zura and the Gorilla so far.”
“How do you figure?”
“They will turn all the lights on as a signal when something is wrong.”
“Do you escape from prisons often?”
“Only on weekends.”
“Is that so? Suppose we've got a few things to lock you up for when this is all over.”
“As long as I'm not in the cell next to you.”
The conversation stopped but it was far from silent – the strength of the wind and waves were too loud to call peaceful. The shore never seemed within grasp; they flailed in the tides, dark forces pulling them under. They pursued on, regardless.