Being in the shower too long will make your skin all wrinkled (Part II)
Title: Being in the shower too long will make your skin all wrinkled (Part II)
Author: Kyoutari
Warnings: Dialog spamming. Stupidity. Badly written sections.
Disclaimer: Gintama is property of Sorachi Hideaki
AN: Part two of "Being in the shower too long will make your skin all wrinkled."
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“Na… Zura… it’s getting dark…”
“If there were no rainclouds, the sky would be the same colour as your forehead, Gintoki.”
“That’s because you shoved my head into the wall and made it bleed, bastard.”
“It’s not like you’re the one getting strangled. I think you sprained my neck, asshole. See, I’m getting a bruise.”
“What do we do, Zura? It’s probably nighttime… We probably missed dinner… And no one’s looking for us…”
“No, they’re probably looking for us… They just don’t know we’re sitting in a dank, old well, with water up to our stomachs and soaked to our skin, and some dead animal’s skeleton for company.”
“Don’t bring that up ever again. You’ll probably get nightmares from that.”
“I think you meant that you’re the one who’ll get nightmares from that.”
“Really? Then why are you shivering?”
“Because I’m cold. Your teeth are positively chattering.”
Gintoki clamped his teeth together and ground out, “They’re not. I swear your face is turning the colour of paper.”
Katsura shivered and hugged his knees closer to his chest. Gintoki sighed and grabbed his wrist, “Zura, you’re freezing. Your face is about the colour of my hair right now. Your lips are nearing purple. I can also see the veins under your skin.”
“Y-you’re not better off than me, Gintoki…Your hand’s clammy, and your skin looks gray. We’ve been in the water for too long…”
Gintoki rubbed his hands together as Katsura coughed.
“I’m probably better off than you… Considering I always eat more than you do… And my skin is gray not because I’m cold, but because I haven’t had any sugar ever since we got let off from school. I want to go home…”
Katsura shuddered and buried his head into his arms and muttered under his breath.
“What was that, Zura?”
“Water, water everywhere… And none to drink… Stupid bird… Stupid boards shrinking under the bloody sun… Stupid water snakes…”
His companion shook him gently, “Zura? Zura, don’t tell me you’re sick…”
The boy shrank into a smaller ball, “Shut up… It’s not Zura… It’s Katsura… Anyone can get sick after spending so much time in sitting in water… The water’s probably old and dirty… Gintoki… I feel like I’m on a ship… Alone, alone, all alone, with no water… and with the damned sun burning me… Perhaps a skeleton ship will sail by and take me with it… I never did want to be a sailor…”
Gintoki’s eyebrows drew down into a deep frown and he laughed nervously, “Oi, don’t you get a fever and hallucinate on me. Zura. Zura? Oi, Zura, stay awake.”
A hand swatted at Gintoki’s arm, “Go away… And it’s called hypothermia… or maybe pneumonia… You’re right… Studying is stupid… I want some soba… Is there any soba, Gintoki? But I’m not allowed to eat soba… because it’s only for poor people, and my family wants to keep a good image… But I don’t really care anymore… I want some soba… Samurai should only eat simple things, or they’ll get fat and lazy…”
Gintoki’s red eyes widened in terror, “Oi, Zura, Zura! Don’t talk about random stuff like that! Oi, if you fall asleep right here right now, I swear I’m going to shave your hair off and braid a rope out of it to get us out of here! I swear!”
Katsura raised his head and glared at Gintoki, “Do that, and I’ll make sure you’ll live to regret it.”
Gintoki shivered slightly and clutched his sword closer to his chest, “I see you’re feeling better, Zura. You know, we should probably stand up… Shit… it’s raining… Zura… Zura, stand up. Sitting in water’s not helping us. Get up. Zura, stand up now or I’ll yank you up by your hair. And there’s a lot of hair on that head of yours for me to yank.”
“I didn’t know you wanted to sit with that skeleton so much, Gintoki. My legs don’t feel like moving. Help me up.” Gintoki grunted and draped his friend’s arm around his shoulder, “You really are freezing,” and stood up with his sword supporting him. “Damn, my skin’s all itchy now and I’m stiff…hm? Zura, do you hear anything?”
“All I hear is your voice and a lot of buzzing… I have a cramp from sitting so long…”
“Having a cramp is better than sitting in water the whole time. I think someone’s coming… Oi! OII!!!”
Katsura pushed back his hair, “Maybe you’re hearing things, Gintoki.”
“Don’t think so, Zura,” Gintoki stared at the rubble, “Hey, lean against the wall for a bit, alright? I’ve got an idea.”
“I hope it doesn’t involve standing on each other and being stupid.”
Instead of answering, he picked up a large rock and threw it onto the top of the pile of rubble.
Katsura sighed, “Gintoki, if you do that, it’s going to take forever for you to make it high enough for us to get out. And some of the rocks are too heavy for you to lift.” He pushed himself away from the wall and bent down to help his friend.
They heaved a particularly large rock onto the top of the pile. Gintoki huffed, “At least we’re trying something. And is it just me, Zura, or is my forehead burning up?”
“I think your forehead’s infected… It scraped the wall, right? Then it’s probably infected.”
“Great, so now not only am I freezing, itchy, hungry, cramped, and tired, I also have an infected head wound. And you have a fever, or hypothermia, or pneumonia, or something.”
Katsura closed his eyes and fell forward, “Sounds about right…”
“Oi, Zura, stay up. Oi oi, Zura? Zura! DAMMIT, ZURA, DON’T DOTHAT! I’LL EVEN CALL YOU KATSURA OR KOTAROU, JUST DON’T DO THAT! OI, YOU’RE GOING TO DROWN LIKE THAT!!! DON’T DIE ON ME!!!”
“Gintoki…? Zura…?”
Gintoki’s head shot up and stopped shaking his unconscious friend. His eyes widened in shock.
Y-you… you’re… Takasugi?!”
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“Takasugi-kun found you two in the well, so he came and told me about it. Your families were very worried about you two, Sakata-kun with an infection and Katsura-kun ill. I was also very worried. It was a good thing we got you two out just in time. Any longer and you two could’ve been in a really bad situation.”
Hands rested gently on a silver head and a dark head, “And so, in the future, I hope you two will be more careful, and less rash. Helping people is a good thing, but there are those who wish to cause harm. I hope you two have learned from this.”
“Yes, sensei. We’re very sorry, sensei.”
“You two are both good children, no matter how mischievous you can get. Remember what the doctor said, if you get dizzy or tired, take a rest, don’t push it.”
“Yes, sensei.”
---
“…Remember what I said to you in that well, Zura?”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura. You told me you would stop calling me Zura if I didn’t die.”
“I never said that. I meant the part where I told you I was going to cut your hair off if you fell asleep.”
“Liar. I did not fall asleep, Gintoki, I passed out from the fever.”
“That’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it?”
“No it isn’t. Do you remember what I said in response to your threat, Gintoki?”
“What?”
“If you cut off my hair, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Really? Let’s try it.”
“Are you really that desperate to meet that pile of bones again, Gintoki?”
“Don’t try anything rash, Zura. We’re banned from going anywhere near wells, remember?”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura. I was sure you missed that pile of bones dearly when we were recovering.”
“You were delirious. You kept muttering about ghosts and demons and stuff.”
“…Takasugi told me there’s a test tomorrow. I hope you’ll study.”
“Oi, don’t go changing the subject so bluntly.”
---
References:
paragraphs 7, 8, 11 - reference to the Japanese folk tale “Banchou Sarayashiki,” which was the basis for the movie “The Ring.”
paragraphs 64, 65, 66 - reference to Gintama episode 24. “Paa” can mean someone’s head is “blown up” (I just felt like recycling stuff…).
paragraphs 86, 88 - reference to the English poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Author: Kyoutari
Warnings: Dialog spamming. Stupidity. Badly written sections.
Disclaimer: Gintama is property of Sorachi Hideaki
AN: Part two of "Being in the shower too long will make your skin all wrinkled."
----
“Na… Zura… it’s getting dark…”
“If there were no rainclouds, the sky would be the same colour as your forehead, Gintoki.”
“That’s because you shoved my head into the wall and made it bleed, bastard.”
“It’s not like you’re the one getting strangled. I think you sprained my neck, asshole. See, I’m getting a bruise.”
“What do we do, Zura? It’s probably nighttime… We probably missed dinner… And no one’s looking for us…”
“No, they’re probably looking for us… They just don’t know we’re sitting in a dank, old well, with water up to our stomachs and soaked to our skin, and some dead animal’s skeleton for company.”
“Don’t bring that up ever again. You’ll probably get nightmares from that.”
“I think you meant that you’re the one who’ll get nightmares from that.”
“Really? Then why are you shivering?”
“Because I’m cold. Your teeth are positively chattering.”
Gintoki clamped his teeth together and ground out, “They’re not. I swear your face is turning the colour of paper.”
Katsura shivered and hugged his knees closer to his chest. Gintoki sighed and grabbed his wrist, “Zura, you’re freezing. Your face is about the colour of my hair right now. Your lips are nearing purple. I can also see the veins under your skin.”
“Y-you’re not better off than me, Gintoki…Your hand’s clammy, and your skin looks gray. We’ve been in the water for too long…”
Gintoki rubbed his hands together as Katsura coughed.
“I’m probably better off than you… Considering I always eat more than you do… And my skin is gray not because I’m cold, but because I haven’t had any sugar ever since we got let off from school. I want to go home…”
Katsura shuddered and buried his head into his arms and muttered under his breath.
“What was that, Zura?”
“Water, water everywhere… And none to drink… Stupid bird… Stupid boards shrinking under the bloody sun… Stupid water snakes…”
His companion shook him gently, “Zura? Zura, don’t tell me you’re sick…”
The boy shrank into a smaller ball, “Shut up… It’s not Zura… It’s Katsura… Anyone can get sick after spending so much time in sitting in water… The water’s probably old and dirty… Gintoki… I feel like I’m on a ship… Alone, alone, all alone, with no water… and with the damned sun burning me… Perhaps a skeleton ship will sail by and take me with it… I never did want to be a sailor…”
Gintoki’s eyebrows drew down into a deep frown and he laughed nervously, “Oi, don’t you get a fever and hallucinate on me. Zura. Zura? Oi, Zura, stay awake.”
A hand swatted at Gintoki’s arm, “Go away… And it’s called hypothermia… or maybe pneumonia… You’re right… Studying is stupid… I want some soba… Is there any soba, Gintoki? But I’m not allowed to eat soba… because it’s only for poor people, and my family wants to keep a good image… But I don’t really care anymore… I want some soba… Samurai should only eat simple things, or they’ll get fat and lazy…”
Gintoki’s red eyes widened in terror, “Oi, Zura, Zura! Don’t talk about random stuff like that! Oi, if you fall asleep right here right now, I swear I’m going to shave your hair off and braid a rope out of it to get us out of here! I swear!”
Katsura raised his head and glared at Gintoki, “Do that, and I’ll make sure you’ll live to regret it.”
Gintoki shivered slightly and clutched his sword closer to his chest, “I see you’re feeling better, Zura. You know, we should probably stand up… Shit… it’s raining… Zura… Zura, stand up. Sitting in water’s not helping us. Get up. Zura, stand up now or I’ll yank you up by your hair. And there’s a lot of hair on that head of yours for me to yank.”
“I didn’t know you wanted to sit with that skeleton so much, Gintoki. My legs don’t feel like moving. Help me up.” Gintoki grunted and draped his friend’s arm around his shoulder, “You really are freezing,” and stood up with his sword supporting him. “Damn, my skin’s all itchy now and I’m stiff…hm? Zura, do you hear anything?”
“All I hear is your voice and a lot of buzzing… I have a cramp from sitting so long…”
“Having a cramp is better than sitting in water the whole time. I think someone’s coming… Oi! OII!!!”
Katsura pushed back his hair, “Maybe you’re hearing things, Gintoki.”
“Don’t think so, Zura,” Gintoki stared at the rubble, “Hey, lean against the wall for a bit, alright? I’ve got an idea.”
“I hope it doesn’t involve standing on each other and being stupid.”
Instead of answering, he picked up a large rock and threw it onto the top of the pile of rubble.
Katsura sighed, “Gintoki, if you do that, it’s going to take forever for you to make it high enough for us to get out. And some of the rocks are too heavy for you to lift.” He pushed himself away from the wall and bent down to help his friend.
They heaved a particularly large rock onto the top of the pile. Gintoki huffed, “At least we’re trying something. And is it just me, Zura, or is my forehead burning up?”
“I think your forehead’s infected… It scraped the wall, right? Then it’s probably infected.”
“Great, so now not only am I freezing, itchy, hungry, cramped, and tired, I also have an infected head wound. And you have a fever, or hypothermia, or pneumonia, or something.”
Katsura closed his eyes and fell forward, “Sounds about right…”
“Oi, Zura, stay up. Oi oi, Zura? Zura! DAMMIT, ZURA, DON’T DOTHAT! I’LL EVEN CALL YOU KATSURA OR KOTAROU, JUST DON’T DO THAT! OI, YOU’RE GOING TO DROWN LIKE THAT!!! DON’T DIE ON ME!!!”
“Gintoki…? Zura…?”
Gintoki’s head shot up and stopped shaking his unconscious friend. His eyes widened in shock.
Y-you… you’re… Takasugi?!”
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“Takasugi-kun found you two in the well, so he came and told me about it. Your families were very worried about you two, Sakata-kun with an infection and Katsura-kun ill. I was also very worried. It was a good thing we got you two out just in time. Any longer and you two could’ve been in a really bad situation.”
Hands rested gently on a silver head and a dark head, “And so, in the future, I hope you two will be more careful, and less rash. Helping people is a good thing, but there are those who wish to cause harm. I hope you two have learned from this.”
“Yes, sensei. We’re very sorry, sensei.”
“You two are both good children, no matter how mischievous you can get. Remember what the doctor said, if you get dizzy or tired, take a rest, don’t push it.”
“Yes, sensei.”
---
“…Remember what I said to you in that well, Zura?”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura. You told me you would stop calling me Zura if I didn’t die.”
“I never said that. I meant the part where I told you I was going to cut your hair off if you fell asleep.”
“Liar. I did not fall asleep, Gintoki, I passed out from the fever.”
“That’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it?”
“No it isn’t. Do you remember what I said in response to your threat, Gintoki?”
“What?”
“If you cut off my hair, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Really? Let’s try it.”
“Are you really that desperate to meet that pile of bones again, Gintoki?”
“Don’t try anything rash, Zura. We’re banned from going anywhere near wells, remember?”
“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura. I was sure you missed that pile of bones dearly when we were recovering.”
“You were delirious. You kept muttering about ghosts and demons and stuff.”
“…Takasugi told me there’s a test tomorrow. I hope you’ll study.”
“Oi, don’t go changing the subject so bluntly.”
---
References:
paragraphs 7, 8, 11 - reference to the Japanese folk tale “Banchou Sarayashiki,” which was the basis for the movie “The Ring.”
paragraphs 64, 65, 66 - reference to Gintama episode 24. “Paa” can mean someone’s head is “blown up” (I just felt like recycling stuff…).
paragraphs 86, 88 - reference to the English poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.