Gintama: Remastered 2.0 Z [reader insert]

19. Flashbacks are a trap

[around 15 years ago]

You tossed your head around, eyes shut in pain and desperation and sweat trickling from your skin. Occasionally, an agonising stab jolted from your right leg, reminding you even in your unconscious haze, about the terrible fate of your leg. You hear voices collect around you, faint and curious and you begin to be able to discern their meanings.

"...who?"

"Shoyo-sensei...brought..."

Were you even of this world any longer? Did you even care if you were? These were the questions that swarmed your little head of 12, in a state however of total disparity towards that age.

All of the pains, anxieties and fears that you had absorbed during the past few days surfaced vividly into your mind, heightening your suffering to newer levels and not to be contained within the sweet confines of neglect anymore.

You burst your eyes open abruptly.

"Look! She's awake.", a boy around your age spoke, his long hair put into a dainty ponytail, holding a few contents in a tray.

"Zura, you talk to her! Since you look like a girl it'll be fine.", another white-haired kid joined, a look of utter boredom plastered on his looks.

"Zura janai, Katsura da! And I don't look like a girl!!"

"Can you idiots shut up? I'm going to bandage her leg now.", a third kid started, with purplish dark hair and sharp, stoic eyes.

"Oh, you just wanna have some puff-puff with her.", the kid with the silver hair smirks.

"Like hell! Sensei told me to change her bandages.", he looked in disgust towards the said kid.

You sat up with great pains, all the while your leg felt like it had been split, torn and twisted. All the three boys looked expectantly at your movements but remained quiet.

"..."

"Eat up, this is some onigiri.", the kid who you singled out as 'Zura' proffered a tray with three riceballs towards you, setting them beside you awkwardly.

Going through some very distressing situations, you were too skeptical to place your trust in anyone else on such short notice, but it was however evident that they had been nursing you.

You looked with a lost gaze on all of the boys around you, until a small tear-drop slipped from your eye and culminated in a full, quiet sob.

"Takasugi you scared her with your vicious face!"

"What the crap-I know it was because you were digging up your filthy nose!", Zura looked back and forth between the two rowdy boys and then at you, trying poorly to console you.

"Boys. Be calm. We are in the presence of an injured girl.", A smooth and collected voice , much more mature sounded. From your glassy eyes, you could discern the figure of a man with a gentle air and a sweet face.

The kids seemed to obey immediately.

Yoshida Shoyo. You remembered that he was the one who brought you to wherever you were staid now.

He walked closer and with that still gentle smile and looking abouts, began talking to you.

"Do not sit up so suddenly. Your leg is still in bad-shape. Does it hurt a lot?"

"...n-no. It's not very—bad.", You could see the impression the first perusal of your voice had on the group of boys.

"Now now, don't lie. It is pretty bad. I don't know who could possibly injure a child's leg to such a degree. Do you have anyone you wish to contact?"