a/n: May of 2014 was the shining month of the GinTsu ship. Praise be to the Lord... my ship is supported by the Divine Gorilla himself...

Hijikata and Tsukuyo being friends with each other gives me life. Seriously, if Sorachi eliminated every GinTsu interaction from the manga, I would most definitely ship them together. In the world of post-canon, I imagine them to work closely together since the Harusame are both enemies of Yoshiwaran and the Edo populace, and in this fic they've become pretty good friends.

Irresistible

-x-

"Tsukuyo-san, I have a question. Why, after all these years, have you stayed alone?"

The woman in question lifted an eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious."

"Have you been waiting for someone too? It seems like that's the fate of all us Yoshiwaran women."

"Yes it is," she answered easily, dodging the first question.

Her subordinate was ten years younger than she, still full of life and energy while she could expend it at her whim. Her name was Asahi, and she was the daughter of a small courtesan whom Hinowa had trained with when they were younger.

"Still, someone beautiful like you, I'm surprised you haven't been attached yet."

Tsukuyo smiled. "It's not my place to be with the person I love most, Asahi-chan."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because he doesn't settle down," the older woman said, breathing out smoke comfortably. "He's not... that type of man."

She walked in front of Asahi, leaving her subordinate to ponder her the mystery of the Moon of Yoshiwara.

-x-

The Yoshiwara landscape had not changed much after a decade of opening the sky.

"Hinowa-san, you'd say you've known Tsukuyo-san for quite a long time, right?"

"Ever since she was a little girl, yes. Why do you ask?"

Asahi pushed the aging woman on her wheelchair; her task had been to assist Hinowa with her day to day activity, a job designated for rookies in the Hyakka organization. "I just wondered... what type of man is she in love with?"

Hinowa laughed. "Out of all those things, you choose to ask me something like this?"

"I was curious," Asahi said defensively. "She's a very beautiful woman, after all, and I like her very much."

"Jealous?"

"Of - of course not!" At the sign of Hinowa's smirk, she rushed to defend herself once more. "It's just that she's been such a wonderful mentor to me and... I want her to be happy."

"That's very cute. If only you were born a man," Hinowa sighed. "Then you would have been perfect for her. But as for your question... The man whom she loves is someone who's more remarkable than he looks at first sight, Asahi-chan." Hinowa smiled as she remembered the first time she had laid eyes on him. "In fact, I'd say he's rather famous around these parts."

"He's a customer?" the girl asked, astonished.

"No, not at all. He's our savior."

"He's the one who opened the ceiling?"

"Of course. A long time ago, Yoshiwara used to be ruled by an Amanto who was freakishly strong. He had rules that had to be followed; rules like us courtesans not being able to leave Yoshiwara at our whim, rules like if one of us had landed up pregnant, and so on. During those days Tsukuyo was instructed to kill us one by one. If she didn't abide by those rules, she would have risked her own death."

"That's horrible."

"It was, wasn't it? I lost my legs because of that rule," Hinowa said, smiling sadly. "But the point is, the man by some miracle eliminated the Amanto in this town. He opened the ceiling for which we are well known for now. Back then it had been an eternal night; many girls had never seen sunlight after they were sold into Yoshiwara."

"And is this man... still alive?"

"Of course he is."

"Does he know that Tsukuyo-san loves him?"

"Ah, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? I wouldn't know, to be frank."

"Does he like her back?"

"I don't know, Asahi-chan."

The girl sighed forlornly. "What a shame. They sound like they were made for each other."

Hinowa looked at her fondly. "But in the end, they're probably happy, and that's what matters, right?"

Asahi looked away. "I guess."

"Unrequited love isn't the worst thing in the world. When you have things to protect, there are things you have to push away in the meantime."

-x-

"Congratulations," he said gruffly to the bride and groom. "May you both suffer from the pain that comes with marital domestication."

"Gin-chan, most people just give us envelopes full of money at a wedding..."

"That's right, Danna. I expected that after you stiffed me the bill for the celebration."

"Well, what do you know," he said, pulling out his envelope. "This might feed her for a week, but don't count on it, Soichirou-kun..."

"It's Sougo. And thank you," the groom said, his eyes softening before he took the hand of his newlywed wife, leading her away to the other guests.

He sighed to himself; it was bittersweet to know that his adopted daughter was in the hands of a legendary sadist now for good. It wasn't that Kagura couldn't take care of herself; after all, she was biologically related to two of the most dangerous Yato warriors in the galaxy. And emotionally speaking, she had gone through a ton of development when she had traveled to different planets, making a living beside her father killing space aliens for a living. She would be able to take care of herself now.

And perhaps that was the part that made him so lonely, knowing that one of his kids was really an adult now. His beautiful, mischievous, and brutally strong daughter had just signed over some of her freedom to the Vice Captain of the Shinsengumi.

"You look like you wanna kill the groom," someone said.

Hijikata and Tsukuyo were making their way towards him, both smoking and decked out in their best clothes.

"I blame it on your subordinate," Gintoki said bluntly towards Hijikata. "Doesn't it bother you that he's getting married at the tender age of 25? He should go through the rituals of eternal bachelorhood like the rest of us, goddammit."

"It should bother you that she finally said yes," the vice-commander retorted. Their rivalry had eased up somewhat throughout the years; as soon as Kondo had been promoted to the Shinsengumi Superintendent, Hijikata had been whisked away to bigger cases outside of Edo more and more often.

"Oh, c'mon, at least she looks happy," Tsukuyo said. "Gintoki, you're easily one of the grumpiest people over here."

"Nonsense. You know how many letters of complaint I've gotten from Kagura's father? Too many, that's what."

"Well she's an adult now, she can do what she likes," Tsukuyo said, breathing out smoke. "Right, Hijikata-san?"

"Don't ask me, how am I supposed to understand women?" he grumbled.

"Oogushi-kun's just bitter because he's going to end up single all his life," Gintoki said, pointing his thumb at the Chief.

"Oi, you wanna die, permed bastard? I could say the same fer you!"

"Bring it on, mayora."

"You two are idiots," Tsukuyo said, neatly throwing two kunai into both their skulls. "This is a wedding, for Christ's sake. If you had any ounce of self-respect both of you would shut up and smile."

"... yes ma'am," the two men mumbled into the ground.

Kondo laughed uproariously. "As expected from the Courtesan of Death! Tsukuyo-san, I'm so glad you could attend my boy's wedding."

"Of course," she said sweetly. "I wouldn't miss it, especially not on Kagura-chan's invitation."

"When was the last time you came back to the surface? I remembered you coming down for my wedding, but I couldn't remember - "

"I've been trainin' new recruits," Tsukuyo said. "So it's been very busy; whenever the weather gets nice like this, we got more people interactin' so it's inevitable that there's gonna be more crime."

"Oh, it's the same for Edo. Bad times all around. I suppose the Hyakka doesn't regularly use patrol cars?"

"No, the streets are too antiquated for that," Tsukuyo admitted. "But it would come in handy some time. Where's Otae-san?"

"Over there, mingling with the womenfolk," Kondo said, smiling fondly at the woman of his dreams. Tsukuyo listened to him wax poetically about the woman for five minutes before deciding that it was about prime time she make her way to the married couple, who were suspiciously on the verge of destroying the wedding cake.

"Okita-san, Kagura-chan, congratulations," she said warmly, as the two were about to engage in an epic knife fight. "I wish you the best in your marriage."

"Tsukki!" Kagura squealed, diving into the other woman's chest with a ferociously strong hug. "I'm so so so so happy you're here!"

Okita nodded in acknowledgement, not one to engage in the same amount of enthusiasm as his wife. "We've met before."

"Yes, once in Yoshiwara. You came to deliver news of Sadasada's death. And, er, Kagura's so-called 'funeral'..."

"Oh, yeah. That was years ago, wasn't it?"

"I've missed you so much!" Kagura said. "I thought you weren't able to come, Gin-chan said that you were so busy with work!"

"A wedding isn't something I can ignore; it was very kind of you to invite me," she said. At the sound of his name, she blinked a bit faster, trying to calm herself before she embarrassed herself. He's talked about me?

"Actually... " Kagura lifted a hand and whispered into Tsukuyo's ear. "I was hoping you could keep an eye on Gin-chan. I don't want him drinking too much, okay?"

"Wh-what's that's supposed to mean?" Tsukuyo whispered back furiously, blushing pink. "I'm not his caretaker - "

Kagura just smiled innocently, her blue eyes shimmering with happiness. "Have fun, okay? I don't want you to not have fun. This isn't supposed to be serious or anything."

Looking at Okita with a smile, she looped his arm around hers, leaving behind a very confused Tsukuyo.

-x-

"... Kagura-chan is someone I consider as my daughter," Gintoki said, his voice warm and yet, tinged with a sadness that was felt by nearly everyone in the audience. "Living in the same apartment day after day, it was hard to deal with her absence when she left to pursue a different life outside of Earth. And it'll be harder still when I come back to my apartment and know that she won't sleep in the closet or pester me to buy her sukonbu anymore. Instead it'll have to be you, Okita-kun. You're going to be responsible for her now."

"It wasn't a mutual arrangement; being her father. There were times where I thought I wasn't good enough, because I never raised kids before... but looking at her, and her finding her own happiness, it makes me believe everything will be fine. And that's all I've ever wanted. For her to be happy. And looking at her now, I think she's found it in her husband."

"Thank you for those years of happiness you've given me. I will love you forever, and wish you the best in your new journey of marriage, Kagura-chan..."

He lifted his cup of sake, and drank it down appropriately. After the applause died away, Tsukuyo turned to Hijikata. "Well, consider me impressed. Not one lewd joke in that wedding toast."

"That perm-head can throw you for a surprise," he agreed, tapping the ash away from his cigarette. "By the way, when are you going to tell him?"

"Huh?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about, but you're just pretending that you don't."

"But I really don't, Hijikata-san."

"I hate love, did you know that?" the Shinsengumi Chief remarked conversationally. "I've been burned off it altogether, so believe me that when I say you should go tell him you've had a walking boner for him for nearly a decade, you should probably do it."

"... Was it that noticeable?"

He nodded.

"You of all people... "

"To be honest, Tsukuyo-san, it's impossible to not notice the way you look at him." He sucked in more of his cigarette smoke. "Remember that case where the three of us were working on that case of the Amanto serial killer? Man, I thought the way he ran after you was really him chasing his own woman."

"He woulda done the same for you."

Hijikata snorted. "Look, deny it all you want. But I don't see the point in stalling forever."

"You sound like you've had some experience in the love department."

"Me?" His smile suddenly turned ironic. "God, no. Never. More like I should have taken a chance when I had it."

-x-

The open bar was utilized to its fullest potential, and Gintoki was half tipsy by the time Tsukuyo had made her way towards him.

"Still talkin' to that mayora?" he asked, a bright flush adorning his face. "You guys are a riot."

"It's nothin' like that," she said. "Kagura told me ta keep an eye on you."

"Did she give you relationship advice too? Typical. She gets married and suddenly she's an expert - wait. Were you in a relationship?"

"No. I'm not with anyone, don't worry." The bartender came over and she decided to go with a virgin cocktail to preserve the general peace. "There's just someone I'm interested in, and Hijikata was actually - believe it or not - tellin' me to go do somethin' about it."

"Lucky guy," Gintoki said, downing down another cup of sake. "Is he here tonight?"

"Mm, yeah."

"Why don'tcha practice on me, then?" he said, smiling devilishly. "Pretend I'm him so you won't be as nervous when you tell the real guy your feelings."

"I - I don't think that would help," Tsukuyo said, fighting the urge to laugh at the irony of the situation.

"Try me."

Well, he was on his way to being drunk, she figured, so there wasn't any point in pushing it off. Both of them would forget about it and continue living life the way they had always lived.

"You have to promise to not make fun of me, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. "Go on, hit me with your best shot."

"I've always liked you for a long time," Tsukuyo said, her fingers clenching around her cocktail glass nervously. "I just figured you weren't interested... It wasn't my place to stake a claim on you. You were the kinda guy who saw me for more than what I thought I was. I thought I was asexual, and then, you just... came into the picture."

"Hm."

"At first, I was really scared. Like me? Protector of Yoshiwara? I wasn't supposed to feel like this. And I wanted it to go away so badly, but I keep seein' you over and over again, and then I realized... this isn't a love incense, or anythin' silly like that. This is for real. Whether you've stolen my heart unintentionally or not, I'm yours."

He was about to take another sip of his sake before he had heard the word "love incense". And in that moment, he understood; and he knew she had understood too.

"You're not talking about some other guy," he said finally. He looked at her, beautiful; blushing. But it was without a doubt, sincere.

"How long?"

"Seven years," she admitted.

"You went this long without telling me."

"I didn't think you were the type to settle down with a woman," she said softly. "I mean - you had kids, right? And... I had a responsibility to Yoshiwara regardless of my feelings..."

His eyes looked pained. "I suppose you thought what I said to you back then, all these years, was a joke."

Keep your mitts off of my woman. The Shinigami daiyuu is designated for me and only me for all eternity. And I ain't letting anyone lay a finger on her.

If it's what you wish… I'll become yours and yours alone.

I guess I'm really no good. I can't look at the woman I really want to be with… The same way I always have.

"I couldn't help it," she said, smiling sheepishly. "After all, you were a walking pervert back then - "

"Right," he said. "Well, fine. You can count this one for real."

While the band played a tune, he leaned over, his lips slipping neatly over hers. The taste of alcohol lingered on her tongue, sickly sweet and cloying to her senses. But she couldn't get enough of him. This wasn't a dream and neither was it an illusion of smoke in her eyes.

They remained like that, standstill, for a while. She couldn't remember whom had separated first; regardless, her head had been spinning a million miles a minute.

"Well, what you'd think?" he asked her. "Want to come by my place later?"

"I'd like that," she admitted. She wasn't sure of his intentions yet; but so far things were going so well in her favor. It had been two hours since the reception ended and already a few guests had left the party. Gintoki grabbed her hand, ignoring the reactions of the guests who seemed surprised to see the two of them together.

They're looking at us, Tsukuyo realized, and she blushed at the unexpected attention.

A couple, she thought to herself. We're a couple, aren't we?

The adrenaline had never left her system. As soon as they reached his small apartment on the top of Otose's Snack House, he kicked off his shoes, stretching out his limbs.

"Tired?" he asked, holding out a hand while she removed some of the more ornamental hair clips she had inserted into her blonde locks.

"No." She had always liked the inside of Gintoki's home; it was... familiar, somehow. And comfortable. She had never visited it by herself; only on someone's invitation either by Kagura or Otae, but this time it was different.

"Good. Because I like you."

"I - ah, Gintoki - " He kissed her on her lips, then her jawline, and then her neck. Shuddering, she closed her eyes.

"Believe it or not, I didn't actually bring you here for this."

"I don't care," she found herself saying.

"I'm glad," he said, his thumb tracing the scar from her cheek. "I'm glad you said something, in the end. I wouldn't have the courage to be with you like this. But... is it okay for me to be with you? Won't I burden you?"

"Of course not," she said, her eyes lowered. "Ever since the day I met you, you've changed my life."

Because of him, the ceiling of Yoshiwara had been opened. Because of him, her master had been slain by both their hands. Because of him, her life had been saved and she had saved his in return. Because of him, there had come the day where she had accepted her feelings for him, and made peace with herself over the incontrovertible fact that she was in love with Sakata Gintoki.

Had he not been there for her? Those last few years of loneliness had been shrouded in doubt and self-reflection. It was time to approach happiness of her own, and he was there, residing in her heart as permanently as the moon and the sun in the heavens.

"Gintoki, I've always loved you."

-x-

to be continued... because it's five in the morning and I can't be bothered with writing anymore...

(of course the more you review the faster I might update, wink wink, nudge nudge)