A one hundred themes challenge that I entertain myself with from time to time. Fifty are done. I'll post ten at a time so you don't have to go through a gazillion of these at once lol.

Featuring mainly Tsukuyo and Zenshi, but with many snippets from other Eyes of Wolves characters + Gintama folk.

New characters may include:

a) Limona - she's a young Amanto secretary that will appear in another short Zenshi/Tsukuyo story I'm working on (it revolves around the newest manga chapters about the Aizen Kou stuff haha)

b) Yugao. You'll see who she is...or you might already know. :D

Disclaimer: Gintama characters belong to Sorachi Hideaki. All those random Amanto/Yato/random people are mine haha.


One Hundred Times

.: one ten :.


1. Smile

"Relax," Mei says, "We're here to talk."

The three Amanto fidget nervously, the one in the center with the curled ram horns balling his fists around a scroll.

"You Harusame seem to have a different definition of talk than most of us," the center man replies. A bead of sweat rolls down his face, but he refuses to abjure his solemn pride in the face of the universe's most infamous crime syndicate.

"Oh no, not me," Mei reassures him. "I love a lil' chit-chat."

She smiles, but it's not a smile people like to see. It's harsh and abrasive in a manner that exudes brilliant cheer. If there is anyone who can strike fear in the hearts of men with the sweetest of smiles, it is Mei.

She touches the hilt of her umbrella.

"So about those terms…"

2. Pain

Tabs finds out the hard way that he has a very low pain tolerance. Surprisingly enough, his life is not in danger when it happens, and that's what costs him the week of teasing he'll never live down. Unfortunately, the one who found him lying unconscious on the floor after stubbing his toe on a particularly hard door — a stubborn titanium sliding door that refused to open automatically — was not the taciturn Lieutenant Zenshi, but instead, good ole Mei and their one and only captain, Kamui.

"You stubbed your toe." It's not a question, and Mei doesn't intend it to be.

"Yes," Tabs answers after a hesitation. He glances nervously at Kamui. To be honest, he's surprised the boy hasn't thrown him off the ship yet.

And then, most unexpectedly, Kamui says:

"It's a hard door, after all."

3. Sad

Yagyuu Kyuubei is prone to bouts of depression that abbreviate the amount of time she is able to spend with others. She cannot stand the touch of a man and can't seem to let go of Otae, who is the most patient girl on their humble planet.

She most especially cannot stand being guarded by Toujou at all hours of the day, and discovers herself wandering the streets of Edo alone. About ten minutes into her walk, she finds that the absence of Otae and Toujou makes the streets both wider and narrower. The former feeling is because she realizes she is lonely; the latter because people crowd closer to her.

She bumps shoulders with a tall Amanto man who apologizes in a low voice and briefly touches her shoulder. His fingers trail softly, lighter than a feather, across the fabric of her jacket but immediately Kyuubei whirls around, seizes the man by the wrist, and attempts to fling him up the street.

To her surprise, she loses her grip on him the moment contact is made. Slightly baffled, Kyuubei reins in her instinctive aggression and evaluates the situation. The tall, dark-haired man is somewhat familiar, but she cannot recall from where. He stares with a passive, blank expression that is both concerned but distant all at once.

"If you're sad, it's best to talk to someone close to you."

"Wha—"

"I hope you don't make a habit out of wrestling strangers to the ground," he says. The man props up an umbrella over his head and continues on his way as if an exchange had not occurred between them.

Kyuubei, stunned, watches him go.

And then reverses direction and runs to the Shimura dojo.

4. Lollipop

Zenshi has all the patience in the world, but the onerous charge that is Mei will never cease to frustrate him. So when he peers into one of the conference rooms and she is spread-eagled, face-down on the table, he debates either leaving her there cold or splashing a bucket of ice water over her head.

In the end, he knows only sugar will keep her awake, and leaves a large, swirly lollipop at her side.

But he still leaves here there cold.

5. Procrastinate

The stack of papers on his desk is of formidable size. It never occurred to him that paperwork could be so menacing. Yet there it is, the folder of negotiations with Planet Xansqu's King Belphegor. For the most part, he is rather averse to arranging a meeting with the bizarre king, who is known for his bloodthirsty killing sprees and bone-chilling smiles. So Zenshi pushes the stack aside, for a brief moment pretending it doesn't exist.

His procrastination does not pass unnoticed by Kougi, who puts a mug of tea on his desk with a dubious glance.

"You're going to fill those out, right?"

"Eventually."

An hour passes, and he still browses through an unimportant complaint filed by Prince Hata.

"Zenshi." Kougi carefully slides the stack his way. "Seriously."

Sighing, Zenshi picks up his pen and takes a glance at the papers. But then, just as quickly, he changes his mind again.

"Maybe later."

6. Rain

The Hyakka often have trouble following their leader in those daring heels of theirs. Tsukuyo is capable of surviving melees and gunfights in those heels, and nothing will stop her.

Unless it rains.

The day the Hyakka leader gets too far ahead of her squad, slips in the rain, and twists her ankle is the day she curses those heels. Sitting dejectedly in an alley, the gutter next to her brimming with mud and debris washed down the street by the rain, Tsukuyo sulks and shivers. The storm is almost malevolent, increasing in speed and ferociousness and eating away at the temperature without hindrance.

In the distance, Tsukuyo hears a few women shout "Kashira! Where are you?!" but their voices are lost to the whipping wind.

Her right ankle burning, stiffened, and swelling up, Tsukuyo can only wait until the pain subsides and the clouds part. Rain, for Yoshiwara, was a novel occurrence. Back when Hosen kept the roof over their City of the Night an eternal dark cover, rain had never been an issue unless one traveled above ground. Hinowa had been fond of telling stories of a time she'd seen the rain. They never knew it was the time she'd attempted to run away with Seita.

Tsukuyo leans against the filthy alley wall, the brick's uneven surface catching on the silk of her kimono. The temperature drops even further, her limbs grow heavy, and soon her eyelids are closing.

When she awakens, her entire body is warm and light and clean, and someone is rubbing warmth into her hands. It takes a good moment or two for Tsukuyo to regain consciousness, but when she does, she spots Zenshi in a large, blue hoodie and khaki slacks — which clash oddly on him — no socks and dripping with rainwater. His hands are the only thing dry about him, warm and comforting as they clasp hers gently.

The first thing Tsukuyo can think to say is:

"Ya didn't wear that outside, did ya?"

7. Pepper

Seita is the kitchen's public enemy number one.

Seita should not be within ten feet of a kitchen utensil.

Especially not the stove.

But yet somehow he snoops about without Hinowa's position at the crack of dawn, attempting to make a great omelet for mother's day. He has a green bell pepper in his left hand and a huge cleaver in his right.

He's about to chop his hand off because he lacks coordination when Zenshi swoops in from seemingly nowhere and redirects the enormous blade down onto the pepper instead of Seita's fingers.

Seita, visibly shaken, looks up.

"I guess I'm not going to be a swordsman, huh?"

8. Hide

With momentous terror, Zenshi and Tsukuyo realize that their daughter is not just a little version of her mother. Little Yugao has more to say than just "Whatcha mean?" and "I'm hungwy." With her dark hair and propensity for wordless smiles, Yugao is as discreet as her father and horribly good at hiding.

It takes them three hours to find her, and she is literally a foot away.

Curled in a cupboard, asleep, rolled up with Lang the Amanto wolf-dog, is their little daughter Yugao.

9. Secret

She has little secrets she probably will never tell anyone. Some of the things she thinks are discreet are rather obvious, but none of that matters. Tsukuyo secretly loves the way Zenshi tucks her into the crook of his body at night, when she lets him. She secretly loves the strength in his hands and the way he slides his fingertips up her waist.

When he asks why she is smiling to herself, Tsukuyo shakes her head.

"It's nothin'."

But he knows.

And that's his own secret.

10. Lock

The door is locked and her heart beats at a frantic pace. Her tongue is dry, and an insipid but thick quiver of bile is rising up her throat. Her silver phone had dropped from her belt a ways back, and there was no turning around and grabbing it. Footsteps ring down the hall and she is desperate.

The kidnappers nearly have knives at Yugao's throat when a string of bullets runs straight through their skulls and drags them to the floor with brutal speed. Yugao's hand goes limp around the doorknob as Zenshi places her abandoned umbrella, torn and ripped, in her fingers.

"How'd ya get in?" she asks her father.

"Front door." Zenshi throws a glance over his shoulder — more footsteps. "They're closing in."

"How will we get out?"

Zenshi turns and touches the doorknob gently.

The door swings open.


Notes:

-Zenshi is a hero. End of story. (proud laugh here)

-Zenshi only knew about Kyuubei because he got dragged to Club Smile again (lol?) and heard Otae worrying over her...

-HOW DOES ONE WRITE CASUAL KAMUI?! Kamui's adorbs.

References:

-Planet Xansqu and King Belphegor? It screams Varia (KHR).

-I found the name Yugao (meaning moonflower) after seeing the character from Naruto again.

Author's stuff:

*** I had this crazy dream where Kagura and Kamui were the princess and crown prince (respectively) of the Yato planet...and there was a newsflash relaying across the city of some major royal crime and they weren't allowed outside...it was craaazyyyy!***