Family Dinner with The Yoshidas

by Scarlet and Azure

After dating each other for half a year, Tsukuyo finally has the chance to meet Gintoki's whole family. But her boyfriend has no ordinary family. Other than a father, who happens to be the dean of their school, he also has four siblings. Will they accept her? Will they like her? Will they ask them to break up? Mostly family fluff. ONE-SHOT. Might have prequel or sequel.

DISCLAIMER: GINTAMA DOESN'T BELONG TO ME, BUT TO SORACHI-SENSEI

"Tsukuyo, wait!" Tsukuyo was about to leave the classroom as the first break began when Gintoki, her boyfriend came to her. They had been dating for half a year but she still blushed around him.

"W-what is it?" she said, turning away to hide her reddened cheeks. Gintoki smiled at her reaction.

"Do you have anything important to do tonight?" Tsukuyo turned back to him, looking confused.

"No, not really. There is no work for the student council to do. Since it's Friday night, I'm only going to spend the night at home with Nee-san and Seita." Her heart began to pound. Is he going to ask me on a date? But what Gintoki asked next surprised her even more.

"Well, then can you come to our house tonight? Dad asked me to invite you to our family dinner."

Tsukuyo widened her eyes in shock. A dinner? With Gintoki's family? "Y-your Dad a-asked you to invite m-me?"

"Yeah."

Tsukuyo gulped and she suddenly got a panic attack. Gintoki's family was not an ordinary family. Gintoki and Tsukuyo attended Gintama High School, and Gintoki's father, Yoshida Shouyou, was so happened to be the dean. Who was also the founder and owner of the entire academy. Which consisted of kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and university.

She had been invited by the dean himself, who was also his boyfriend's father, to come to their house! Tsukuyo could feel herself hyperventilating. Why does he invite me? Does he want to test me whether I am good enough for Gintoki?

"W-why so sudden?" Tsukuyo asked carefully.

"Well, since Dad has just come back from a business trip and my oldest brother is taking a break from college so everyone is in the house, Dad said we should have family dinner and suggested inviting you to eat with us tonight."

Tsukuyo was reminded again that Gintoki had four siblings. Two of them she knew were Yoshida Kotarou and Yoshida Shinsuke from class 2-c. Why they were the same age as Gintoki even though they were siblings still confused her. She never met Gintoki's two other siblings. His oldest brother was busy in college; he lived in dormitory and only came home on the weekend. His youngest sister was still in middle school.

Tsukuyo felt nauseous. She was really going to meet his whole family.

Gintoki watched his girlfriend patiently until she calmed herself from her nervousness. He knew that she would be worried about this. "Hey, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I'll just tell Dad that you'll be spending the night with your family" Gintoki said, grasping Tsukuyo's hand to try to calm her.

Tsukuyo thought about it. Sure she was nervous. But as a scholarship student, who could afford to go to this school thanks to the dean, she couldn't possibly refuse his invitation. She owed him so much, for letting her and her nephew attended this school, for letting them keep getting education. She squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "No... I... I'll come."

Gintoki grinned at her. "Don't worry. My family only want to see you. They won't bite... probably" he said, adding the last part as an afterthought.

"When should I come?"

---

Tsukuyo walked out of school early today as there was no work or meeting for the student council to do for a while. Usually she walked home with Gintoki, but he had things to do in Kendo club. Before going home, she went to Gintama Kindergarten to pick her nephew. She waited outside and soon enough, a boy with sandy brown hair and green eyes walked out of school, chatting with the other kids.

"Seita! Time to go home!" The boy, Seita, turned to her direction and waved.

"Tsukuyo-nee!"

He turned to his friends. "See you tomorrow!" He ran toward Tsukuyo while waving to his friends, who waved back at him. When Seita came, Tsukuyo stretched out her hand for him to grasp and they walked hand in hand toward their house. Even though Seita was technically her nephew, Tsukuyo refused to be called "Oba-san" because she was still too young to be called that. So she told Seita to call her "One-san" instead, and he ended up calling her "Tsukuyo-nee."

"How's your day?"

"It's great! Izumi-chan invited me to lunch in her house tomorrow!" Hearing that, Tsukuyo instantly reminded of her plan tonight. Her nervousness came back. She spaced out for a while until she felt Seita tugged her hand.

"Tsukuyo-nee!"

"Hmm... Uh what?"

"I said, can I go tomorrow?"

"Uh, to Izumi-chan's house?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course. But you better ask your Mom first."

"Okay. Why are you frowning Tsukuyo-nee? Are you stressed because of that student group?"

"It's student council Seita, not student group. No it's not about that."

"It's been long time since Tsukuyo-nee came home frowning after dating Gin-nii."

Seita's comment made Tsukuyo ponder. Being the student body's president was hard. On top of that, as a scholarship student, she also had to focus on her study to keep her scores high. That's why she didn't have many close friends and usually refused any invitation to hang out. She didn't join any club either so she rarely socialized with others other than for business. She had been so deadly serious, strict and rigid back then. But everything changed after she met Gintoki...

"Are you two fighting again?"

"Huh?" Tsukuyo said, snapping out of her thoughts. "Who? Me and Gintoki?"

"Yeah."

"No. It's okay Seita. Don't worry."

They arrived at their home, and a woman in a wheel chair greeted them in the doorway. "Mom, we're home!" Seita said, running toward the woman and hugged her. The woman hugged her son back.

"Welcome home Seita." She looked at Tsukuyo. "Welcome home Tsukuyo."

Tsukuyo smiled at her sister. "I'm home Nee-san."

Hinowa, Tsukuyo's older sister was a really beautiful woman, with milky-white skin, long, shiny black hair that you usually saw in shampoo commercials, and big, sky blue eyes, like those of Barbie. One thing that looked wrong with her was that she sat in a wheel chair. Due to the accident years ago, the tendons of her legs were cut and she could no longer stand or walk. Now she went anywhere with crutches or with wheel-chair. Those years still haunted Tsukuyo. Her hand unconsciously caressed the visible scars on her face.

Her sister's condition still stressed Tsukuyo to this day. But because they were poor, they couldn't afford the treatment for Hinowa's legs.

"No clothes to work on today? Tsukuyo asked Hinowa as she wheeled her through their humble home, as Seita ran to his room to change his clothes.

"No, there is no order for this week. I wish there is though" Hinowa said sighing. Hinowa worked as a tailor to provide for them, but there was rarely any order lately.

"Don't worry. I believe a customer will come soon" Tsukuyo said, trying to comfort her sister. "By the way, why are you in the doorway when we came? You usually stay in your room."

"I have just come back from shopping."

Tsukuyo frowned disapprovingly. "You went out again? I told you to leave it to me."

Hinowa sighed. "But Tsukuyo, you are busy with school. I don't want to add to your burden. I want you to focus on your study and leave all the housework to me."

"But going out shopping is different. You..." Tsukuyo didn't finish her sentence, and only looked down on Hinowa's legs. "What if something happened to you?"

Hinowa looked down sadly. "I am sorry. But I am okay, right?"

"Still, just leave shopping to me from now on."

Hinowa sighed. "Alright." As they arrived in the living room, Hinowa turned to Tsukuyo behind her. "Oh, I forgot. What do you want for tonight's dinner?"

The word dinner reminded Tsukuyo again about tonight. That's right. Tonight, I'm going to eat with Gintoki's family. "Um, actually Nee-san... Gintoki invited me to eat with his family tonight."

"Really? That's great!" Hinowa said, clasping her hands together. "You have to look your best then." She noticed her sister frozen in her spot. "Tsukuyo?"

"Nee-san, I'm... I'm scared."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to meet his family. One of them is the school's dean and... What if they don't like me? I'm poor and he's rich. I'm not really sociable, not like him. And he was so handsome and popular and I..." Tsukuyo bit her lower lip, one hand reaching her scars again, her other hand, grasping Hinowa's. "What if they think I'm not good enough for him? What if they force us to break up? It will be the end of our relationship."

Hinowa put an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Don't say that Tsukuyo. It won't be that bad."

"I'm just worried Nee-san. He's the dean's son and I'm just a poor scholarship student. I shouldn't even decide to pursue a relationship with him."

Hinowa frowned. "Now, stop there. It is true that we are poor. But did Gintoki-kun ever say those things to you?" Tsukuyo shook her head. "That's right. Because he loves you for who you are. He doesn't care that you are poor. He doesn't care about your social status. I can see in the way he looks at you. He genuinely loves you. And you also have many good qualities. You're caring, understanding, modest, forgiving, devoted, hard-working and many others. I, as your sister know it best."

Hinowa put her hands on Tsukuyo's cheeks and smiled at her. "And don't say that you are ugly. You are my sister, so you are beautiful." And she was right. Tsukuyo was indeed beautiful just like her sister, with short golden hair, milky white skin, and sharp amethyst eyes. The only thing that ruined her confidence about her look was the prominent stitched scars on her left cheek and the left side of her forehead. Hinowa caressed the scars sadly.

"Gintoki-kun is really handsome, but you are beautiful too Tsukuyo. You look perfect together. And your feelings for each other are strong and no one can break you two up."

Tsukuyo slowly smiled at her sister. She always knew how to make her feel better. Hinowa's kindness, optimism and silent strength were what helped her went through her life.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes. Thank you. I guess I'm just nervous since this is the first time that I actually meet his whole family."

"I am sure they will welcome you. How many family members he has?"

"Other than him and his father, he has four siblings. I never heard about his mother. He never told me anything."

"Then you better prepare yourself for it right?"

"Right."

---

Tsukuyo looked in the mirror. She was wearing her best clothes, hoping to look as presentable as possible. She had applied some make up. It was actually the first time she wore make up, excluding her dates with Gintoki. She couldn't help looking at her scars. No amount of make-up could conceal it and she felt a bit self-conscious. She shook her head. Gintoki had told her how beautiful she was multiple times and she still felt unconfident with her look. She sighed.

Tsukuyo looked at the clock. It was 6 pm. Gintoki offered to pick her up but she refused, saying that she could get to his house by herself, so he only told her to come around 8 pm. It's early, but she guessed it was okay to go now. She walked out of her room and found Seita watching TV in the living room.

"I'm leaving Seita."

"Tell Gin-nii I say hi!"

Tsukuyo smiled and nodded. She looked at the direction of the kitchen. "Nee-san, I'm leaving!"

"Wait Tsukuyo!" She stopped in her track toward the doorway and waited until Hinowa wheeled herself out of the kitchen, a bunch of tupperwares on her lap. She put the tupperwares inside a big plastic bag and handed them to Tsukuyo.

"What is that Nee-san?"

"Some food to give. I made them myself."

"You want me to bring them?"

"Yes. It's a gift for Gintoki-kun and his family."

Looking at the tupperwares in her arms, Tsukuyo sweatdropped. Hinowa sure had cooked a lot. The portion was enough for a whole class during hanami. "Nee-san, we are having dinner, not picnic."

"So?"

"Why are you making this much?"

"Well, Gintoki-kun's family consists of six people. With you it's seven. There's also a chance that they will want to have more so of course I make a lot."

"But they are the ones who will provide the food Nee-san. I don't think they need more food."

"But I'll feel bad if we don't give anything to them. And I've already made it. It would be a waste if you don't bring it."

Tsukuyo frowned. She was actually embarrassed to bring them to Gintoki's house. But she didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings. She sighed. "Alright, I'll take them."

Hinowa smiled brightly. Tsukuyo turned around, struggling to carry the stack of tupperwares in her arms, and walked to the door. "I'm leaving."

"Have a nice night!"

---

Tsukuyo finally stood outside the gate of Gintoki's house. Though it's more of a mansion than a house. She already knew where it was before she even dated Gintoki. Her friend, Sarutobi Ayame, was once crushing on Gintoki and often stalked him, even out of school. Whenever they went home from school together, she always pointed at the mansion. "See that Tsukki? That's Gin-san's house! Isn't it beautiful? One day, I'll live in there with him as his wife and we're going to do this and that!"

Tsukuyo sighed. She missed Ayame. Their relationship was a bit rocky after she started dating Gintoki. But lately, they started to regain their old friendship back as Ayame started to get closer to her childhood friend, Hattori. She just hoped the glasses girl would forgive her someday, and they could be friends with each other without their mutual feelings for Gintoki getting in the way.

Tsukuyo observed the two-stored building again. While the house itself was European-themed, the large front yard was Japanese-styled, with a small waterfall, a small lake, and a small bridge over it. There was a large paved way in the center, which was likely used for cars.

The house was really extravagant. As expected from the dean and founder of the infamous Gintama School. She thought about the small one stored building in which she lived with Hinowa and Seita and felt herself losing confidence again.

Come on, Tsukuyo! You're already here! Don't chicken out now!

She took a deep breath and pressed the bell. After a minute, a female voice resounded from the intercom "Yes, who it is?"

"Uh, hi! I-I'm Hoshina Tsukuyo!" she said, stuttering a bit.

"Ah! Welcome! Wait for a minute."

The gate opened automatically, allowing her to come in. Tsukuyo looked on in awe. "Just come inside" the voice from the intercom said. Tsukuyo slowly walked inside, looking around the house's yard in admiration. She looked to the side of the house and found 3 motorcycles and 2 cars in the garage. One of the cars was actually a van. She finally stood in front of the house. Trying to calm her erratic heartbeat, she walked up the small stairs toward the white double door. Before she could knock, the door was suddenly opened, revealing a young girl with long, dark blue hair and deep red eyes.

The girl gave her a small smile. "You're Tsukuyo-san right? Gin-nii's girlfriend."

Gin-nii? Could it be, she's... "You are..."

"I'm his sister. Nice to meet you. Oh, my name's Nobume by the way" she said, offering her hand for a handshake. Tsukuyo shook her hand and smiled back at her. Thank goodness his sister was quite nice. "Come in."

Tsukuyo followed Nobume into the mansion. They arrived at a huge room that she deducted as the center of the house. There's a bar in one corner of the room, a billiard table at another corner, and two stairs leading to the second floor at the other two corners. At the center of the room, there was sofas and chairs, lined around a big, glass table. She was startled when Nobume suddenly shouted "Obo-nii! She's here!"

A man walked down one of the two stairs. He had white curly hair and gray eyes. His hair was different from Gintoki, though it looked similar. "Don't shout like that. That's so unladylike."

"I can do whatever I want in my house" Nobume replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, we have no guests right now so I don't have to behave."

"What about her?" he said, indicating Tsukuyo.

Nobume turned to look at Tsukuyo and faced him again. "She's different. She's our future sister." Tsukuyo blushed at her remark.

The man rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Where are Kotarou and Shinsuke?"

"Kota-nii is in the backyard, feeding Elizabeth. Shin-nii is probably in the studio, playing guitar."

"Well call them here then."

"Fine, fine."

Nobume left the room and the man turned to Tsukuyo. He gave her a nod and a small smile, it was thin but it lightened up his whole face, which surprised Tsukuyo a little. Just now, he looked so strict and serious, and his eyes looked really sharp. "You are Hoshina Tsukuyo-san right? Welcome to our house. I'm Gintoki's older brother, Oboro. It's nice to meet you."

So this was Gintoki's older brother who was in college. "Oh, um, it's nice to meet you too Yoshida-san" Tsukuyo said, bowing at him.

Oboro noticed the plastic containing the tupperwares that she placed beside her. "Can I ask you what that is?" he said, pointing at it.

Tsukuyo blushed. "Um, this... well... It is some food that my sister cooked for your family. She asked me to give this to you" she said as she picked it up. Oboro's eyes widened and Tsukuyo hid her reddened cheeks behind the stack of tupperwares. "Y-you don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

Oboro smiled. "No. I thank your sister for making them for us. We appreciate it."

She handed it to Oboro, still looking down out of embarrassment. "I'll take it to the kitchen then" he said, walking toward the direction she assumed to be where the kitchen was.

When Oboro left, Tsukuyo let out a huge sigh. She was ready to be humiliated, but thankfully, they didn't scoff at her. She stood there in the room, not knowing what to do. She was too nervous to go looking around. A moment after Oboro left, Nobume came back into the room with two males. It was Yoshida Kotarou and Yoshida Shinsuke, Gintoki's brothers who attended the same school as them, but were in different class.

"Ah, Hoshina-san! Welcome to our house!" Kotarou greeted Tsukuyo with a friendly smile, his brown eyes looked at her warmly. Eventhough they're in the same school and she was dating his brother, they never interacted with each other. One thing Tsukuyo knew about him was that he was smart. Really smart. She and he had always competed for the title of number 1 student in the school. Their scores were never really far apart from each other. Sometimes, Tsukuyo was number 1, and sometimes, Kotarou was number 1. One other thing that was prominent about him was his hair. It was black, and long like a girl's. She swore that his hair looked as shiny as Hinowa's.

Shinsuke nodded at Tsukuyo. "Nice to have you here." Shinsuke had short dark purple hair and green eyes. She noticed that they were the same height, which meant that he was shorter than Gintoki. Just like with Kotarou, she never interacted with Shinsuke. One thing she knew about him was that, just like Gintoki, he was a troublemaker. He never really cared about school's rule, and one time, someone actually caught him smoking. She heard from Gintoki that he smoked because some of his friends forced him to try it and it was that one time only, Shinsuke never did it again. Nevertheless, just like Kotarou, he was a brilliant student. Though not as smart as his brother, he managed to keep his score decent enough despite how many times he skipped school.

Tsukuyo bowed at both of them. "Good evening. Thank you for inviting me to your family dinner."

Shinsuke shrugged. "Well, it was Dad's idea."

Kotarou ignored him and told Tsukuyo "You don't have to be so formal. You are welcome here. Just view this place as your own house. We are happy to have you join us."

Tsukuyo smiled. "Thank you." She noticed Nobume went and disappeared to somewhere while she was observing the two. "Where is Gintoki?"

"He went to pick Dad in the airport. They're buying the ingredients for dinner along the way" Shinsuke replied.

"Eh?" Tsukuyo blinked. "You are going to be the one to cook?"

"Yeah?" Shinsuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I thought that you would have a cook that will make the dinner."

"The servants are going home for today. We give them day off from Friday to Sunday" Kotarou explained

"Eh? Really?" Now that she thought about it, usually, the servants would be the one to open the door in rich people's house. But the one who opened the door for her just now was Nobume. So that meant there was only the family in the house at the time.

"Yes. So we are going to be the one who cook."

"There's no need for that" Oboro said as he entered the main room.

"Nii-san?" Kotarou turned to him.

"What do you mean?" Shinsuke asked.

"Tsukuyo-san's brought some food here for us. It seems that it's enough for tonight's dinner. We don't have to cook anything anymore."

"Really? You bring some food for us Tsukuyo-san?" Kotarou asked.

Tsukuyo looked down, blushed. "M-my sister cooked them and asked me to give them to you" she said, embarrassed.

"Well, tell your sister that we thank her for it" Kotarou said.

"Shinsuke, call Gintoki and tell him to come home. We already have something to eat so they don't have to buy anything" Oboro told Shinsuke.

"Yeah, yeah" Shinsuke said, walking out of the room.

"Nii-san, can I bring Elizabeth to eat with us? Can I? Can I?"

Oboro frowned at first but Kotarou was giving him a hopeful look, with glassy eyes and sparkles around his face, which Tsukuyo never thought the honored student would pull off.

Oboro sighed. "Fine. Just make sure he doesn't litter the floor. The maids are not here for another two days so no one will clean it up."

"He's a she."

"Sure whatever."

Kotarou left the room as well and Oboro turned back toward the kitchen. "Well then... let's pull out all of the food."

"Please let me help" Tsukuyo said.

Oboro looked at her and smiled. "Sure."

They walked to the kitchen and the place was bigger than she imagined. It looked like the kitchen of a restaurant. The plastic bag sat on the dining table beside the kitchen.

Tsukuyo helped Oboro pull the food out and prepare the plates.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help much."

"That's alright. I usually do this alone anyway."

"You prepare for the food alone?"

"Yes, whenever our father was not home." Oboro sighed. "The responsibility of the oldest sibling is to take care of the younger siblings and keep them in line." Tsukuyo pondered about this. He did seem to be the most diligent and responsible among the five.

"But now that I'm rarely home, it's usually Kotarou who prepared the food when the cooks are having a day off."

"I see."

"Your sister sure cooked a lot. Did she make them by herself?"

"Yes. I never knew she made them until before I was about to go." Tsukuyo hesitated and asked. "Just now, you said that you will cook the dinner if I didn't bring any food. That means you can cook?"

Oboro nodded. "All of us can cook. When the whole family is home, we often cook together. At first we decided to cook together to welcome you. But in the end, it was you who give us food."

"I-it was my sister, not me!" Oboro smiled a little at her.

"Just now, you said all of you can cook. Does that mean Gintoki can too?"

"Yes."

"That's surprising. I thought that you... well..."

"Always have our meals served and ready without having to cook ourselves?" Oboro asked. Tsukuyo looked down, a bit embarrassed, and nodded.

"Well our life was not always as easy as now..."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Oboro stopped his work and looked at her sharply, startling her a little. "Gintoki didn't tell you?"

"About what?"

Oboro frowned. "How much do you know about our family from him?"

Tsukuyo picked her words carefully. "We never really talked about your family... He seemed to be a bit... evasive whenever I asked about it."

Oboro smiled sadly. "I see. Well, it can't be helped."

Tsukuyo blinked. She could feel something wrong here. "I'm sorry if it is a bit personal... but... are you... on good terms with each other?"

"Of course we are. Well as good as you can imagine. We are close to each other even though Dad is very busy and I'm rarely home after I went to college. There's no internal conflict if that's what you're worried about."

Tsukuyo blushed and looked down. "I don't mean to be nosy. I am sorry for asking. I know it's family matters and it is not my business."

"No, it's alright. I understand why you ask. You are worried about Gintoki, and that's fine." Oboro stopped in his track for a while and looked at her. "Thank you for being there for him."

Tsukuyo blinked in surprise. Huh? Before she could say something, Nobume walked into the room.

"Obo-nii, is there still a donut in the fridge?"

"Check it yourself" Oboro said without looking away from what he's doing.

Nobume skipped to the refrigerator and pulled out a box of Dunkin Donuts. She rummaged inside the box and pulled out a donut. Tsukuyo sweatdropped as Nobume walked out of the room while munching the treat, carrying the box in her arm.

She finished her task with Oboro and walked out of the kitchen with him. "I need to do something in my room. Just feel at home" he said as he walked up the stairs. Tsukuyo looked around the room and found Nobume, sitting on the sofa in the center of the room, munching a donut while reading a magazine. She noticed Tsukuyo standing nearby and waved her over.

"Don't just stand there. Come have a seat." Tsukuyo walked toward the sofa and sat beside Nobume.

Nobume pushed the box of donuts toward her. "Want some?"

"No, thank you." Nobume nodded and turned back to the magazine she was reading. Tsukuyo took a glimpse of what she was reading and her eyes nearly bulged. She could feel her whole face burned

"Y-Yoshida-san..."

"Nobume-chan is fine."

"Um... Nobume-chan... you're still in middle school right?"

"9th grade in middle school, yeah."

"Do your brothers and father know you're reading that?"

"No, they're not."

"I don't think it's appropriate for your age. More importantly, where did you get that?"

"A friend lent this to me."

"You should not read it again."

Nobume cooked her head to the side in confusion. "Why? It's interesting."

"Because reading S&M Magazines is not healthy for middle schoolers!" Tsukuyo felt hot all around her body. She quickly took the magazine away from Nobume and hid it behind her. She put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "Please don't read it ever again Nobume-chan. If your friends ever offered it to you again, refuse it. It's for your own good."

Nobume blinked, but after a moment, she nodded. "Okay Tsukuyo-san."

Tsukuyo sighed in relief. She glanced behind her to the magazine. She considered burning it, but remembered that it wasn't hers. She would just ask Gintoki to keep it away from his sister later.

Suddenly Tsukuyo felt something caressing her face. She turned her head around to see Nobume caressing her scars. "Where did you get them?"

"An accident during my childhood."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It looks painful" she said observing the stitches

Tsukuyo smiled a little. "Thank you. But it was really not that painful."

"Did you stitch them yourself?"

"Yes, with the help of my sister, since we don't have the money to go to the hospital at that time. Though it ended up looking really ugly. At least I think so since no one would bother me whenever they looked at them. These ugly scars make me look scary and hideous I guess."

"No they're not. I mean the scars look painful but it doesn't ruin your appearance. Obo-nii used to have a long scar across his face, and that was what I called ugly. You don't know that because a surgery helped him remove it. There's nothing wrong with scars Tsukuyo-san. It only shows that you are strong. You are not ugly, you are really beautiful." Nobume smiled at her. "Be more confident with how you look."

Tsukuyo looked at the younger girl, surprised. Her words were very similar with what Hinowa had said. Slowly, a big brilliant smile appeared on Tsukuyo's face. "Thank you Nobume-chan."

Nobume smiled at her and let go of her face. She was back munching donuts in a matter of minutes. "I heard you have a sister."

"Yes. An older sister. Her name is Hinowa."

"I always want to have a sister or a mother."

Tsukuyo raised an eyebrow at that. Another topic she never heard from Gintoki was about his mother. Gintoki was really elusive when it came to his family. Tsukuyo knew he was uncomfortable talking about it so she never asked for more than he was willing to tell. But hearing that remark from Nobume sparked her curiosity once more. She wanted to ask who or where was their mother. Instead, she said "Being the only female in the family is hard huh?"

Nobume snorted. "Very. Those clowns always underestimate me just because I'm the youngest and a girl."

Tsukuyo smiled. Is this how it feels like having a younger sister?

"I always hope Dad or one of those good-for-nothing brothers of mine will get a girlfriend. Believe it or not, you are the first."

Tsukuyo widened her eyes. "R-really?"

"Yeah. Kota-nii has a crush on his senior, who is two years older than him and is now in college. But he never has the guts to tell her that. Shin-nii has a blonde girl who is head over heels for him and follows him anywhere he goes. But he never seems to be interested in dating her or anyone in particular. I don't know about Dad and Obo-nii but I don't think they have girlfriends since they're too focused on their work and studies. That's why everyone was shocked when Gin-nii was the first one to have an official girlfriend."

Tsukuyo blinked at this. "You mean Gintoki never had a girlfriend before me?"

"No. He went on dates with some girls once in a while but he never went on dates more than three times with the same girl and they were never really serious or official. You however, are different. He seems to be serious with you."

Tsukuyo's heart beat fast in her chest and she could feel butterflies in her stomach. "He said that?"

"No, but we can see it. Whenever he talks about you, he seems to be genuinely happy. You make him happy, not like anyone ever does. And seeing him happy makes all of us happy." Nobume smiled at her. "Thank you for making him happy, Tsukuyo-san."

Tsukuyo didn't know what to say. What Nobume said was similar to what Oboro had just said to her. She knew that they both accepted her and acknowledged her as their brother's lover and it's very touching. She felt something warm in her chest and she just felt so happy.

Tsukuyo smiled at her boyfriend's sister. "Thank you. If you need help you can come to me whenever you want. And if you feel tired, you can come to my house and talk to me and my sister."

"I would like that. Another female company would feel good instead of being surrounded by these sweaty males" Nobume said, nodding her head.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car pulling. Nobume rose from her seat. "It's Dad and Gin-nii!"

Tsukuyo's nervousness came back. The dean? He's here finally?

"Wait here Tsukuyo-san." Nobume ran out of the room toward the door to open it while Tsukuyo sat nervously. She might have received scholarship from the dean, but she never actually met him herself. Yoshida Shouyou, the founder and owner of Gintama school almost never showed up in school and no one ever really saw his face other than the higher staffs. Gintoki said he was busy working abroad and rarely stayed in Japan. He was still a mystery to the students and even some of the teachers of Gintama school.

"Welcome home Dad!"

"We're home Nobume" she heard a melodious baritone voice replied. "Where is our guest? I want to see her."

Tsukuyo started to fidget. This is it. I'm finally going to see Gintoki's father. What does he look like? Tsukuyo kept imagining what the dean possibly looked like. Was he fat? Did he have beard or moustache? Was he bald? But as he entered the main room behind Nobume, she found out that he was far from all her imaginations.

Of all things she had imagined about Yoshida Shouyou, she never expected a face so beautiful and youthful. He didn't really look like a man with five grown children. He didn't even look like he could be Gintoki's father! Older brother was as far as he could pass as. He had a big gentle gray eyes, fair smooth skin, and long silky hair. His hair was unique too. She couldn't really guess what color it is. It could be called gray but it could also be called brown. He gave her a smile, so bright, gentle and warm, which reminded her of Hinowa. He looked really handsome.

"Good evening Hoshina-san. It is nice to finally meet you in person. Gintoki has told us a lot about you." Shouyou closed his eyes and smiled even wider, and Tsukuyo swore she could see sparkles around his face.

"Good evening Yoshida-san. It is nice to meet you too." Tsukuyo felt herself relaxed. The friendly and gentle aura around the man calmed her nervousness. Thank goodness he seems to be a really kind person.

"Nobume, is the dinner's ready?" Shouyou asked, turning to his only daughter.

"Yes. Obo-nii and Tsukuyo-san prepared them. The food was cooked by her sister." Tsukuyo blushed again and Shouyou smiled.

"Well, then, tell your brothers that we will have dinner soon."

"Okay. Want me to put your suitcase in your room?" Nobume asked, pointing at the black suitcase beside Shouyou's feet.

"Ah, sure. Thank you." Nobume walked up the stairs while carrying her father's suitcase, to call for her brothers.

Tsukuyo looked behind Shouyou to search for her boyfriend. Knowing who she was looking for, he said "Gintoki was parking the car right now. He would be here any minute. Don't worry."

"Oh... yes... of course" Tsukuyo nodded awkwardly.

Soon enough, she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around and saw four out of five Yoshida siblings walking down the stairs together.

"Dad, you're home!" Kotarou said enthusiastically.

"Hi Dad" Shinsuke said casually, though the gleam in his eyes showed that he was actually excited.

"I'm home. I hope nothing big happened while I'm away. Is everything under control?" Shouyou asked, turning to his eldest.

"So far, yes. Thankfully" Oboro replied. Then he smiled. "Glad to have you back home Dad."

Seeing this family interaction made Tsukuyo realized how much the siblings loved their father despite him rarely ever being home. Shouyou too, loved his children dearly, as evident from the affectionate gaze he gave each of his children.

Tsukuyo heard the door closed and opened behind her and heard the voice she had longed to hear ever since she arrived in this house. "I'm back" came a lazy drawl from the entrance door as the last member of Yoshida family walked into the room. She turned around to see her boyfriend waved at his family. He looked at her and smiled. Gintoki reached her hand and grasped it. "Glad that you came." She smiled back at him, happy to have him here by her side. Having Gintoki here with her made her feel less awkward.

Gintoki leaned toward Tsukuyo's face and said in a quieter voice that only she could hear "I would like to hug and kiss you. But not in front of my family." As he had expected, a blush spread through Tsukuyo's face until her ears. She slapped his chest playfully. He grinned at her.

"Oi, stop being lovey-dovey there, we're going to eat" Shinsuke said. Tsukuyo was reminded that her boyfriend's family was there watching them. Her blush became darker and Gintoki frowned at his brother.

"Shut up!"

Gintoki grabbed his girlfriend's hand and pulled her with him. The seven people walked to the dining room to finally eat. Tsukuyo felt a bit nervous because they're going to eat all the food she brought. She was ready to defend Hinowa if one of them insulted her sister's cooking, but thankfully it didn't happen.

"This stuff is really good" Nobume commented as she popped another sushi into her mouth.

"Yes it is" Oboro nodded in agreement.

"It's good enough" Shinsuke said. Tsukuyo figured it was the best compliment that could come from him.

"It's really tasty! Did you always eat this kind of food whenever you visit Tsukuyo-san's house Gintoki?" Kotarou asked.

"Of course. Whenever I come, Hinowa-san always serves her cooking to me. By the way, this is nothing compared to her cookies" Gintoki said, smiling blissfully at the memories of Hinowa's homemade cookies.

"I'm so jealous of you!" Kotarou shouted.

"If you want, I can ask Nee-san to make some and bring them here the next time I visit" Tsukuyo said.

"Really Tsukuyo-san?" Kotarou turned to her.

"Can your sister make donuts too?" Nobume asked.

"Yes. I'll ask her to make some next time."

Nobume and Kotarou cheered, and were reprimanded by Oboro not to make noise during dinner while Shinsuke continued eating without a care in the world, but he looked really content and that was enough for Tsukuyo to know he liked the food.

"It is indeed very delicious" Shouyou commented. Tsukuyo turned to him and caught the man smiling at her. "Your sister must be a very good cook."

Tsukuyo felt herself smile happily. Somehow, hearing the man compliment her sister made her very happy. Not only because the compliment came from the owner and dean of her school and her boyfriend's father, but because it was such an honest and sincere compliment.

"And it was very kind of her to cook this much food for us in such a short time. Please send her my gratitude" he said.

"I'll make sure to tell her that. Thank you Yoshida-san."

"You know, since everyone here is technically a Yoshida, why don't you just call each of us by our first names?" Shinsuke said offhandedly.

Tsukuyo looked at him and blinked. "Is it okay with you?"

"I'm the one who suggested it right? So of course I don't mind" he replied nonchalantly.

"I don't mind either. Since if you call every one of us except Gintoki 'Yoshida-san', it'll feel strange. Just call us by our first names" Kotarou said.

Oboro nodded at her.

"You already called me Nobume-chan just now" Nobume commented.

"Alright, if it is okay with you" Tsukuyo said awkwardly. Gintoki sent a grateful look to Shinsuke's direction, which Shinsuke pretended not to notice.

The dinner continued for another minutes. Kotarou was the first to leave. "Thanks for the food. I'm done. I'll be leaving now to feed Elizabeth, Dad."

"Sure Kotarou."

Kotarou left. The second person to finish eating was Tsukuyo. She also excused herself as she wanted to go to the restroom. Shouyou and Oboro nodded at her while Gintoki, Nobume and Shinsuke were fighting over the last pudding in the background.

---

When Tsukuyo walked out of the restroom, she heard a splash from the backyard. Now that she thought about it, she never saw the back yard of the house. She slowly walked out toward the patio which faced the backyard.

The backyard of the house consisted of a large swimming pool in the center, a gazebo in one corner, a smaller pool at another corner, a big swing under a tree on the other corner, and a small green house at the last corner. At the edge of the larger pool, sat Kotarou. He was looking at something that was swimming in the pool. Curious, Tsukuyo went closer and greeted him.

Kotarou turned to look at her. "Oh hi, Tsukuyo-san."

"What are you doing?"

"Playing with Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?"

"Here she comes" he said, pointing at something under the water. Tsukuyo waited until something popped its head from under the water. Her eyes nearly bulged.

"It's a... penguin?" It's a penguin. A real life penguin! Tsukuyo honestly didn't know how to react. "What it's doing here?"

"Not it. She. She's my friend of course."

"You mean it-I mean she, is your pet?"

"Well, if you say so. But I prefer to call her friend." Tsukuyo nodded awkwardly. "Here, want to try to feed her?" Kotarou pushed a bucket full of small fish to her.

"Okay" Tsukuyo said, hesitantly picking a fish. The penguin, seeing the fish in Tsukuyo's hand, swam toward the edge expecting the food. Tsukuyo carefully put it into her mouth and she quickly swallowed it down. The penguin rubbed her head against Tsukuyo's palm in gratitude and she smiled at it-her.

"She's cute."

"Isn't she?!" Kotarou said enthusiastically. "None of my siblings thought so! They never realized how cute and adorable Elizabeth is. You're the first one! Oh wait, Dad also considers her cute."

"That's a shame. She's quite cute."

"That's right!" Kotarou cried silent tears of joy that someone finally agreed with him. Tsukuyo sweatdropped.

"She usually stays there," he said, pointing at the smaller pool in the corner, "but tonight, I want to let her have her fun in the big pool."

"By the way, can I ask how do you end up with a penguin as a pet?"

"Oh, I found her in Alaska."

Tsukuyo blinked and stared at him for a long time. "You found her... in Alaska..."

"Yes. She was alone at that time, separated from her family and lost. She kept following me and I felt sorry for her, so I took her back to Japan with me."

"What are you doing in Alaska?"

"Vacation. Dad took the five of us there during the holidays." Tsukuyo wondered how rich Yoshida family actually was to be able to go to Alaska for family vacation.

"I.. see..." They watched as Elizabeth played in the water happily.

"If you have time, just come to our house to visit Elizabeth. You can play with her. She already likes you. It's good that she finally gets a new friend. I don't want her to be lonely."

"Aren't you her friend?"

"Of course. But I am busy studying and practicing for the band."

That reminded Tsukuyo that Gintoki was part of a band which consisted of himself, his two brothers and a friend of theirs, in which he was the vocalist. They always performed in every party held in the school. "That's right. You are in a band with Gintoki, Shinsuke-kun and a friend of yours. If I remember his name is..."

"Sakamoto."

"Yes, Sakamoto Tatsuma."

"Yes. The four of us are busy with practice right now since we're going to perform during the senior's graduation ceremony."

"Yeah, I remember Gintoki telling me about it."

"And Shinsuke is the one who writes the songs."

"Now that I remember, when I just came Nobume said he was in the studio, playing guitar."

"Yeah. He is writing a song we're going to play. All of our songs are composed by him."

"He must be very passionate about music then."

"He is. He wants to be a composer in the future."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes. He has already decided to take Music Major in university."

Tsukuyo pondered over this. She was an honor student and the student council president, but even until now, she still hadn't decided what major she would take in college. She still didn't know what she would do in the future. Sure she's still in her sophomore years, there's still time to think about it. But still... Wait what he said just now... "Wait, you have a studio? In the house?"

"Well, not exactly a studio. But we do have a soundproof room that our band usually uses for practicing."

Tsukuyo blinked in surprise. Really, these rich people...

"But you must be very busy Tsukuyo-san. Being a student council president is not easy. And you have to prepare for the graduation ceremony."

"I guess. But you know, you are also one of the best students in school. And you are very diligent and responsible. Why didn't you join the student council?"

"I am not really interested. My passion is not there." Tsukuyo blinked in surprise.

"Kotarou-kun, you are part of the debate club right?"

"Yes, I like to discuss many things, especially politics. I want to be a politician when I grow up."

"I see. That's good." So even Kotarou-kun has decided about what he will do in the future. Compared to him, I am...

"What I'm worried about is Gintoki."

"Eh? What's wrong with Gintoki?" Tsukuyo asked, the topic about her boyfriend finally picked her interest.

"He said he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He was so unmotivated about everything. You know how he was before."

Tsukuyo nodded, remembering how Gintoki had been. He was a troublemaker, and was so lazy beyond belief. He never finished his homework, his scores were the lowest, and he often skipped school.

"At least he changed after he met you. You changed him for the better."

Tsukuyo wondered about it. She was the best student in their school. No one could keep up with her scores other than Yoshida Kotarou, and she and Gintoki so happened to be classmates. Their homeroom teacher asked her to watch over him and tutored him to make sure that he behaved. She pushed him to do better, sometimes with forces. It had not been easy of course. He was so unmotivated back then and incredibly rebellious (demonic even as she remembered the way he beat up those scoundrels who dared hitting her and her friends and threatened to rape them in an alleyway). It took a long time and they had come a long way but slowly he started to change. To make sure he even studied at all, she always dragged him to the library and forced him to study with her. When he actually took school seriously, a miracle happened. Gintoki's scores shot up to be the highest, far surpassing hers and even his brother, Kotarou's. At that time, Tsukuyo realized how brilliant Gintoki actually was. He just needed something, or someone, to wind him up.

"Gintoki is really brilliant. I dare say that he is the most brilliant out of the five of us. However, he lacks the desire and motivation to move forward. But when he actually takes things seriously, he succeeds with flying colors" Kotarou said, voicing Tsukuyo's thought. "Whenever I asked him what major he would choose in college, he always avoided it and said he'd think about it later. He has so many talents, but he has no desire to use them. He needs something to make him regain his motivation. But I don't know what it is."

Tsukuyo went silent. She actually had the same opinion. Even now, she felt there's something missing in her boyfriend, there's certain hollowness. She still tried her best to help him and push him to the best of his potentials.

"Anyway, it was thanks to you that he slowly becomes better Tsukuyo-san" Kotarou said smiling at her. "Please take care of my brother."

The words felt heavy for Tsukuyo because she knew how much Gintoki meant to his family. Nonetheless, she said "I will."

---

After Tsukuyo and Kotarou came back inside, everyone gathered in the TV room in the second floor. There was a large 3D Television there, and the family decided to play video games. Tsukuyo couldn't help but giggle at their enthusiasm in picking the games they wanted to play. She never knew that this family, this elite and wealthy family, was filled with such dorks.

They chose a race game and everyone took turns in playing. Shinsuke and Gintoki were the most competitive and always shouting at each other while playing. After his turn with Gintoki, Shinsuke walked out of the room toward the balcony, replaced by Oboro. Shouyou even joined his children and played in the game. Everyone who faced him ended up losing. He was the undefeated champion of the game.

The game continued and Tsukuyo found herself enjoying her time despite only having played once. She looked at the balcony, wondering why Shinsuke was out for so long. Then she saw something... A smoke...

Tsukuyo looked at the others and saw that they were engrossed in the game, in which Nobume faced Oboro for another race. She slowly slinked away toward the balcony. She peeked around the curtain and saw Shinsuke smoking a cigarette silently. Shinsuke turned to her hastily, then quickly turned back to look outside. Tsukuyo joined him and stood not far from him in the balcony, putting her hands on the railing.

"Aren't you 17?"

"Aren't you supposed to be with them?"

"I took a break for a while" she replied, and finally turned to look at him. "Smoking is not good for your age."

Shinsuke chuckled. "Why don't you just mind your own business?"

Should I tell him? I guess I should. "Gintoki told me. Back then, about you being discovered smoking, you were forced by your friends to try it."

"That's a lie. I did it on my own accord."

"Nevertheless, he said it was one time only. He believed you wouldn't do it again."

"Ck... such a naive thought" he said but Tsukuyo noticed he lowered the cigar from his mouth a little and the quiver of his lips showed that he actually felt guilty.

"Does your father know about this?"

"..."

"..."

"No." This time, Shinsuke lowered the cigarette even more and bit his lip.

Tsukuyo looked up to the sky. "I think you should stop."

"It's not that easy. Once you try, you cannot stop. You wouldn't know how it feels."

"Actually... I do."

Shinsuke turned to her sharply. "What?"

Tsukuyo looked down and smiled sadly. "I... have smoked before... It was the third year of middle school. At the time, life was kind of hard. Seita fell deadly sick. He had to stay in the hospital for more than a month. He nearly died. Nee-san took as many jobs as she could, working day and night. But even that wasn't enough to pay for his medical fees. She even had to do... other kinds of work..." She never elaborated what kind of 'works', and he felt he didn't want to know. "Anyway, to help her, I took as many part time jobs as possible. It was near the end of semester, so there were exams. I often studied in the middle of work. We also had a lot of debts back then. One day, I felt so stressed and exhausted and one of my older coworkers at the place where I worked offered me a cigarette. He said it would ease my mind. I tried one and yes, it felt amazing. The next day I smoked again... and again... and again... But somehow... after each try, I always felt guilty... I told my sister about it and she looked so upset. Seeing her face back then felt worse than anything. After that I promised that I'd never smoke again."

She went silent and Shinsuke didn't pry for more. He put the cigarette on the railing and didn't touch it again. After a moment, he slowly asked "Does Gintoki know about this?"

"..."

"..."

"No."

Shinsuke sighed and looked away from her. "You should tell him."

"I'll tell him if you stop smoking."

He frowned at her. "You're tricky."

"How about we play one round in the game? If I win you quit smoking."

Shinsuke raised an eyebrow at her idea. "Fine. But If I win, you have to tell Gintoki all those things you told me." Tsukuyo nodded. They went back inside, the cigarettes lied forgotten in the trash can. Gintoki turned to them as the two approach them.

"What're you guys doing out there?"

"Nothing. Just talking" Tsukuyo replied. "By the way, can I play for one round?"

"Oh, Tsukuyo-san, you want to play too?" Nobume said. She handed Tsukuyo the stick in her hands. "Here, take my place then."

"Oboro, let me play again" Shinsuke said, prodding his brother.

Oboro raised his eyebrow. "You want to play? Against Tsukuyo-san?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

The eldest of the siblings shrugged. "Okay then" he said, handing Shinsuke his stick.

Shinsuke and Tsukuyo sat next to each other, eyes focused on the game, remembering their bet.

"Let's see what you got Blondie."

"It's Tsukuyo."

"Whatever."

---

"I can't believe it" Shinsuke said in disbelief. They had raced for five rounds and he kept losing against Tsukuyo.

Gintoki put his arms around his girlfriend. "That's my girl" he said proudly, causing Tsukuyo to smile and blush at the same time.

"Aww, poor Shinsuke got his ass handed by a girl" Nobume said in a teasing voice while poking Shinsuke's face. He swatted her hand angrily.

"You actually lost to a girl. For five rounds too" Kotarou added.

"It's the first time someone actually defeat Shinsuke in the game other than Dad and Gintoki" Oboro commented, smirking.

"Shut up."

Shouyou only laughed seeing his children's interaction. "Shall we play a new game then?"

"Let's play The Sims!" Nobume suggested out loud.

"A game where there is no winning and losing. Yes, it's the best game. No one will be embarrassed for losing against anyone anymore. Like Shinsuke" Kotarou said seriously.

"Shut up!" Everyone laughed.

As the others were busy setting up the game, Tsukuyo quietly sat next to Shinsuke. "Don't take it personally."

He was silent for a while, before replying "Not really." For a moment neither of them said anything.

"Hey, Tsukuyo..."

"Yes?"

"As promised, I'll stop smoking." Tsukuyo smiled. She knew that Shinsuke did it not only for the bet they made, but also for himself and for his family. It was clear during their talk that he cared for Gintoki and Shouyou, proven by his guilt when she mentioned them.

"That's good."

"But..." Shinsuke added and Tsukuyo waited. "I still want you to tell Gintoki what you told me just now."

She closed her eyes and I sighed. "I know. I will. I was planning to do it anyway. I just don't know when."

"Good." He smiled at her. Really smiled. Not a smirk but a smile. It was small but just like with Oboro, it lightened his whole face. Tsukuyo was shocked to see it.

Shinsuke got up and walked toward his siblings who were preoccupied with the game. "Hey Gintoki."

"Yeah?"

"She's okay."

"Huh?"

Shinsuke didn't say anything more and instead, joined the others in playing the game. Tsukuyo heard what he said. She knew what he meant and couldn't help smiling.

---

After playing video games, the family decided to watch a movie. Considering their characters, Tsukuyo had thought they're going to watch some serious movies like action, thriller, mystery, or even horror.

"Alright everyone, we are going to watch this so you better prepare yourselves" Oboro said with all the seriousness in his voice and face as he showed them the cover CD. Tsukuyo gaped.

"Stand By Me Doraemon?" Tsukuyo asked out loud in disbelief. Everyone turned to her.

"Is something the matter Tsukuyo-san? You don't like it?" Oboro asked her.

"Uh, no nothing. It's fine. Let's watch it."

"Prepare ourselves for what?" Nobume asked Oboro.

"For the tears."

They really ended up watching Stand By Me Doraemon, and sure enough, near the end of the film, the siblings all reduced into pathetic crying hip. Tsukuyo was used to seeing her boyfriend wept for a movie during their dates in the cinema. But she never would have imagined that even his siblings were driven to tears when watching this movie, even Oboro and Shinsuke.

Nobume was crying silently while munching the donuts in her lap. Kotarou cried while hugging Elizabeth (whom he had brought to join them earlier) in his arm tightly. Gintoki was crying, while his hand sneaked around to grab a donut from inside the box in Nobume's lap once in a while. Oboro and Shinsuke were crying together while leaning on each other's shoulders. Whether they realized their position or not, Tsukuyo was not sure.

"Such cute little dorks aren't they?" she heard someone said beside her. She turned to see Shouyou. He didn't cry, and he seemed to watch his kids more than he did the film, with such loving gaze and a kind smile on his face.

"They are your dorks" Tsukuyo said.

"You are right." He chuckled quietly. After he stopped, he suddenly went silent. "Unfortunately... they're not... exactly mine..."

Tsukuyo widened her eyes in surprise. Did that mean...

Shouyou smiled at her sadly. "They are not my biological children. None of them are. They were orphaned children who lost their parents during terrorist attack. They had been wards of the state until I adopted them ten years ago."

Tsukuyo was shocked. But she understood everything now. She now knew why Gintoki never talked about his mother. It's because he never had one. He only ever had a father, and that was Shouyou. She now knew why Gintoki, Kotarou and Shinsuke were the same age despite being "brothers".

"Yoshida-san-"

"Just call me Shouyou."

"S-Shouyou-san... you are very kind for taking them in and raised them as your own."

Shouyou looked down, his eyes empty, void of emotion. "No. I am not that good of a person Hoshina-san."

"Please just call me Tsukuyo."

He smiled a little, but his face quickly lost the cheer. "I was a really bad person back then. I had done a lot of terrible things in the past. My hands were dirty, and I felt that I did not deserve to live. So I ran away. From my sins, from everything. I tried to leave it behind me and I took them in. I used them, in a way, to atone for my sins. But it all came back to me in the end. And the five of them ended up facing it together with me."

Shouyou went silent again, his eyes still looked hollow. Tsukuyo waited patiently for him to start again. "I dragged them all into my problem, my past. Thanks to them I was able to survive all of it. But in the end, one of them had to make a sacrifice for me." He looked ahead, at his children who were still engrossed in the cartoon. Tsukuyo somehow knew who he meant.

"That is..."

"Gintoki." Shouyou looked at his middle child, his eyes no longer looked empty. Instead, there were pain, sadness, and regret swimming in those gray orbs.

"I have done a lot of terrible things but Gintoki help take the burden from me, and I would forever be indebted to him." Shouyou smiled a little. "They are all very precious to me. More than they ever know."

Shouyou looked at his children lovingly one by one. His gaze stayed on Gintoki the longest. At that time Tsukuyo realized. Shouyou really loved all of his children, but it was clear that among five of them, Gintoki was his favorite. She wouldn't prod him to explain more. She knew that it was something personal. She even surprised that Shouyou willingly told her this much. This family's past was still vague but for Tsukuyo, it was enough. For now it was enough.

"They loved you too Shouyou-san." Shouyou slowly turned to look at her, still with love and pain his eyes. "And Gintoki loves you very much. I can feel it whenever he was talking about you." And he did. Whenever Gintoki talked to Tsukuyo about his father, she could sense the pride, the respect, and the admiration he had for Shouyou, and most importantly, the love. She also observed the interaction of the other four Yoshida siblings with their father, and knew that they loved him too, with the same amount he did toward them.

The pain was gone from Shouyou's eyes and he smiled again gently. "Thank you Tsukuyo-san. I'm glad that you are there for Gintoki. He slowly changed because of you."

She remembered Kotarou saying the same thing before. That she had changed Gintoki. "I know that he becomes more diligent in his school work and his scores have rised. But other than that, I don't help him much."

Shouyou shook his head, still smiling. "No. You changed him more than just that. You made him happy. And seeing Gintoki happy made the rest of us happy. Because he was very important for us."

She knew that. Gintoki's siblings had told her, directly and indirectly, that they cared for Gintoki, and wanted her to take care of him.

"Thank you for being there for him."

"Thank you for making him happy, Tsukuyo-san."

"Please take care of my brother."

"Gintoki, she's okay."

"All of us here, are six strangers pretending to be related. But eventhough we are not related by blood, we do not need it to become a family" Shouyou said, looking at his five children and smiling sagely, as they continued to sniff and snivel at the film.

Tsukuyo couldn't help the biggest smile to form on her face. She had met a great family, and without realizing it, she had been pulled into it.

---

"Sorry for keeping you until this late" Gintoki said as he stopped his motorcycle in front of Tsukuyo's house. Tsukuyo got off of the motorcycle and took off her helmet.

"That's okay."

"I hope Hinowa-san won't kill me for returning you home this late." Tsukuyo chuckled at his remark. Yoshida family finally let her go at around 11 p.m. Shouyou had insisted for her to stay the night but she said she didn't want to make her sister worry. So they let her go, before making her promise to visit again some other time.

"So how is it?"

"Hmm? What?"

"The visit."

"Honestly? Much better than I had imagined it would be."

"See? I told you there's nothing to worry about. They're not really good people, but I know that they're going to like you."

"I guess. But is there any reason for you to invite me especially today?"

Gintoki smiled. "Dad and I had been talking a lot about this. The reason we invited you to our house today because not only that my father is in Japan and Oboro-nii come home from the dormitory, but the servants are all out, so there are only us in the house. We wanted you to see us not as some rich people with servants doing all their biddings. We wanted you to see us as a simple family, who cook dinner together during weekends, and spend the night playing video games and watching cheesy movies."

Tsukuyo smiled almost tearfully. She felt so touched by it. It meant a lot to her. They didn't want her to see the facade and front they had to put in front of everyone. They wanted her to see them for who they truly were on the inside. Not as some elite people with high status and wealth, but as a simple family who were filled with goofy and dorky people. "Thank you Gintoki. It means a lot to me. I really enjoy today. Though I wish you and I have some alone time together."

He caressed her cheeks. "I also wished for that."

Tsukuyo watched the way the street lamp made his red eyes shin in the dark and how the moon's light made Gintoki, pale skin and pale hair, seemed to glow white. It made his handsome features much more prominent. Even now, she was still had a hard time believing that this beautiful man was actually her lover. She started to feel breathless.

"Gintoki..." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers and she savored the taste of his lips in her mouth. After almost a minute, they slowly broke apart. Gintoki's red eyes watch her every move, and she felt her whole body hot just by his smoldering gaze.

"Good night" he whispered.

"Good night" she whispered back as he got on his motorcycle and was ready to go back to his house.

"Oh by the way, Dad said that next time, we'll be the one to have dinner in your house so you better prepare for another family dinner cause this time, your family will join us as well." Without waiting for a reply, Gintoki started the engine and went away, leaving Tsukuyo gaping.

She tried to process what he had said in her head and when it finally clicked in her mind she screamed "WHAAT?!"

Ever since I'm hooked into Gintama, I've always wanted to write a fanfiction about it. With the recent chapters about Shouyou's disciples, I was thinking "Hey, it'll be fun and heart-warming if all of them are siblings with Shouyou as their father". I also love the interaction of the Yoshiwara family. Combining it together and that's how this fanfiction came to be. I have a lot of headcanons about this particular AU that I heven't gotten out just yet.

For those who are interested in this AU, I write a sequel called "Family Vacation".