A scream. An ensemble of gasps from the crowd below. With Sacchan now safe in the shield of my body, I braced for impact.
It never came.
"How can… you be this crazy?!" came Shinpachi's struggling voice.
I opened my eyes. He, Kagura, and Sadaharu broke my fall. I was safe, and so was the dumbass ninja in my arms.
"I wasn't being crazy." I said weakly. "I knew you guys would definitely be there for me."
They let me down gently. Sacchan stood beside me, a little flustered. Tama came running towards us.
"Gintoki-sama! Sacchan-sama! Are you hurt?" exclaimed Tama.
"Well, this one's a little funny in the head, but she's always been this way." I replied. "We're okay."
I started to walk away.
"Shinpachi-sama, Kagura-sama, thank you very much. You finally remembered Gintoki-sama…" said Tama.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Shinpachi.
They fell silent. I smiled to myself.
"It's okay, Tama." I said. "They're the kind of people who'd save anyone, not just me. Those are the kind of idiots that make up the Yorozuya. As long as they remember that, it won't matter who their leader is."
"Gintoki-sama!"
I felt a pang of pain in my heart. I smiled again, even though the kids behind me wouldn't see.
"You saved my life, kids." I called out. I paused, at a loss for words.
They didn't just save me from the fall just now.
They saved me from loneliness by giving me a family. They saved me from my guilt of being pathetic and useless by trusting me to protect them. They saved me from my own ruthless demon self by giving me the strength not to lose my sense of self in battles. They saved me from death by giving me a reason to fight, to live. They saved me from my taunting past by giving me a warm future. They saved me from all the pain I felt by giving me happiness.
Truly, they have saved my life in every way possible.
"Well… I guess…" I mumbled. "Thanks for everything."
I turned my head to take one last look at the kids. I forced on a smile.
"Take care, Yorozuya."
Take care, my dear family.