If you noticed that this story looks familiar, well I changed the way it was written. Someone told me it's kind of annoying to read the first one so I change the style it was written. This is my first fanfic. I don't know if I made too much grammatical errors but the most important thing to me is to share my GinTae love to my fellow GinTae fans and Gintama fans as well. I hope you continue reading it for my upcoming chapters (it would be 12-13 chapters)
Four Seasons of Love Arc Chapter 1: Don't make eye contact to avoid humiliation!
(Prologue) Spring
It was a sunny afternoon, birds chirping, falling cherry blossoms on the ground and there it was, 3 children planning to play hide n seek on a massive field. A serious one, a long-haired but calmed another and a boy with natural white perm hair.
"Come on! Let's play hide n seek while we're on break!" Katsura, the long-haired kid, said.
"How will you play on this massive field?!" the serious Takasugi responded.
"Then we'll relocate!"
Then they found a nearby farm with cherry blossom trees all over.
Takasugi was concerned,"This field is huge too! There's a possibility we'll get lost...Shoyou-sensei will be mad at us!"
Katsura said," That's the best part! More challenge, more fun! Right, Gintoki?"
Gintoki, the white haired one, refrain from closing his eyes on his usual sleeping position to answer him.
"What's that Zura?"
"Ugh! Never mind..."
After that, the trio went on playing. This time its Gintoki's turn to find them.
"3, 2, 1...here I come..."
For ten minutes, Gin kept looking and looking and looking for those duos until he decided to go back where he came from. Lazy by nature, he wants to lay down on a grassy field rather than looking for his friends. He was walking back to the spot when he heard a chaos. He hid under the bushes and took a peek. A group of five boys in circle were shouting to a girl laying on the ground, crying.
"You think you're stronger than us?! You're a girl! You can't be with us! We're boys, we are definitely stronger than you and for us you're just a weakling!" a boy, seemed to be 11 years old, threatened the girl.
She was a cute girl with brown hair and dressed in pink kimono. The girl was just clenching her fist and continued to cry. You can beat the crap out of her but to call her 'weakling' was her weakness. She believes words are stronger than actions.
Another boy shouted at her, "And if you want to join us again, we'll-"
The girl suddenly stopped crying and looked up. A natural white hair boy appeared before her eyes. The boy whipped the ass off of the boys. After his attack, some of the boys came in for offense but thanks for his quick moves; he was able to dodge them. After a couple of minutes...
"If you still hurt this girl, I will never ever forgive you!"
Then the boys, covered with dirt and scars, ran. The girl was still astonished of what happened, she wasn't able to move at first. The boy, on the other hand, got bruises and wounds especially on his left hand and right cheek.
"Are you alright? Oh..."
Gin noticed a severed wound on a girl's leg slipping on her kimono. While the sun was setting, Gin gave the girl a piggy back ride. Even of his wounds were painful, it was more painful for him to watch a girl suffering helplessly.
"Hey! May I know your name?" Gin asked
The girl responded, "My name's Tae...How about you?"
"Mine's Gintoki"
Otae laughed," Your name's a perfect match to your hair."
'The girl, I mean Tae is finally laughing' he thought. Seeing her happy made him feel happy too.
"Why are you with those guys?"
"Well, I was amazed on their samurai skill at such a young age. I just want to be friends with them."
"They're not worth it to become a samurai..."
"hmm?"
"My sensei said being samurai you should know the samurai code. Use your sword not to kill people but to protect what's right in front of you."
Those words made Tae blushed a little. It was her first time that a stranger protected her.
Gin noticed it, "Why are you blushing?"
"Uhm...ah...It was my first time that a stranger had protected me...it's really flattering. And also, my first time to have a piggy back ride."
"Ahh... Don't worry if you are in danger and I'm there, I will protect you without second thoughts. And if you're tired or wounded, I'll give you another ride... Just like what my sensei did for me when he found me.
Otae's face was redder than before. This boy was...she can't even explain it. She felt safe.
"Gintoki, I don't know how to repay you-"
"Nah! Don't worry about it. You didn't ask for help. I came in by my own will and saved you by my own will."
She was speechless. She can't help it but to think on how to repay her debt to this boy who saved her life (and humiliation). After a long piggy back ride on a sunset afternoon, they finally reached the dojo. Due to his height at that time, for Gin it was gigantic, bigger than his school. While at the middle-aged man came out with a four year old boy snoozing peacefully on his right arm and was shocked to see them. A couple of minutes later, the man was seen treating her daughter's wound.
"Patch him well, okay? I'll just get the food, dear."
He then left them. Tae went on putting bandages to Gin's cheek and hand. The father went back and put a tray of dango and rice cakes in front of them
"Wow! Sweet foods! Arigatou Gozaimas!"
Gin gladly munched them down. Seeing the sparkling eyes on Gin's face, the dad (and even Tae) was happy to see it.
The dad was very pleased, "I'm glad you'll like it. We'll I'm not a good cook as my wife because they ended up being burnt especially the eggs but I'd rather make snack. By the way, I should be the one to say thank you for rescuing my daughter. I should tell this to Hajime, I would likely to recruit you!"
Gin apologized, "Gomen... but I'm already in another school. I was adopted by Shoyou-sensei."
"Oh my...at a young age you're now struggling. But the looks of it, you're already strong. I think you will grow up to be a fine samurai. I hope my kids (he patted Tae's head) would be as strong as you."
A loud cry made the dad stand up and leave them.
"Wow! Your dad just showered me with compliments!"
"You deserved it..."
"Thanks... by the way how old is your brother?"
"Four years old. I'm two years older than him. How about you?"
"I'm eleven." Looking at his bandaged hand, "You are really good at this."
"Well, we owned this dojo and a student here so I guess I'm just used to it. And that's the least I can do." She bows her head, "Arigatou Gozaimas... I'll never forget this debt..."
"Snap out of it! As I said you don't owe me debt. I did it by my own will."
The two began to have an awkward silence. Otae was just staring at Gin who was busy munching down the foods. Then she remembered something. She moved closer top Gin and gave him... a kiss! A peck on his bandaged cheek.
"I remembered my dad used to tell me that my mom always gave him kiss. She said it will heal faster." Otae said blushing and laughing at the same time.
Gin was the one speechless this time. He turned his head away from her to hide his blushness. It was his first time to really interact with a girl at his age. He didn't know what to do after her bold move. On a corner, he saw a piece of cherry blossom on the ground. He picked it up and gave it to Tae. He was about to say something when-
"Oi Gin! We've been looking everywhere!"
"How come you got lost and ended up here?!" The two playmates found him, obviously angry.
Gin turns his head to Otae, "We'll meet again, I'm sure of it."
"I know...Promise?"
She gave him the 'Pinky Swear' thing. Gin was about to touch her pinky with his pinky when...
"Oi Gin-san! Shoyou-sensei is waiting for us at the riverbanks, prepare yourself!" Takasugi shouted.
He catched up with them but then he turned his gaze at her. While doing backward walking, he also did the "pinky swear" high up in the air.
"Also, promise me to become stronger from now on...Be the strongest girl you can ever be. If you have to beat 'em up, punch them. Don't cry, just smile."
He made his voice louder so she could hear him. He smiled when he said it. Tae just smiled and blushed. As soon as they disappeared, Tae just stared at her pinky.
"Smile... I Promise!"
Then she put the flower on the back of her ear and went inside the dojo. It was about approaching 6 in the evening and while walking back home to school...
"It's your fault we got sermon from sensei! If we didn't play that stupid hide n seek..."
Katsura responded, "Hey! It's not my fault Takasugi! If the other guy didn't get lost!"
While the two headed first, Gin just scratched his head after Shoyou gave him"The Talk". It was so troublesome, he thought. As he scratched his head out of annoyance, Shoyou noticed his bandage.
"May I know why you have those bandages around your hand?"
"...I fought...for someone..."
"Why did you do that?"
"...to protect her..."
Then Shoyou patted his head and said, "You really did learn... I hope it will be the start of your new day..."
But not all leads to happy endings. After years gone by, Shoyou was executed. Before his punishment, he faced Gin for one last time and did the 'pinky swear' behind his back.
"Promise me Gintoki...Protect your friends, for me...Keep moving forward."
Gintoki, on the other hand, did not able to save his master. After that, he joined the army against the amantos. But from them on, he left his past behind and fortunately met Otose and that's the time he kept moving forward.
"Shinpachi, Otae...Take good care of one another. Gomen ...I don't have enough time to protect you two and I left you with huge burden. But promise me, protect this dojo. And keep moving forward."
At such a young age, they were already alone. Tae and Shinpachi, who are now 10 and 8 years old, were crying on the deathbed of their father. Years later, they found themselves fighting against the amantos. But as the promise to their father, they kept protecting the dojo. For Tae's part, this was the time she met a friend, Kyubei, and was now able to fight back...and also to keep moving forward.
To be continued...
