Their Story
Lesson 1- Special Holiday
It was morning again and the sun shone brightly in Kabukicho. Shinpachi, the early bird of the Yorozuya took his usual morning stroll to the office. With a tired look on his face, he had anticipated that the first thing he'll do again when he arrives is wake Kagura and Gintoki up and maybe even make some breakfast. If they still have anything in the fridge, that is.
Mornings were always refreshing. Seeing how the people of Kabukicho start the day working so early made Shinpachi smile a little. With the people here so hardworking, he wondered why Gintoki ended up becoming such a hopeless person.
Nearing the end of his journey with the Yorozuya in sight, He heard a strange and familiar voice.
"Stupid Sakata-san? Stupid China Girl? Shitty Four-eyes? I have come to collect the rent in place of Otose-san. Sakata-san? Stupid Sakata-san?"
Catherine. Shinpachi thought. It was a tight spot for him. Catherine had changed tactics and chose to come early so that she could catch him on his way to work. Last time she came late in the afternoon and failed to collect the rent when Gintoki felt her presence and ran, jumping out the window with Kagura and Shinpachi following him. Catherine and Otose didn't see them for a few days after that. But Shinpachi was a responsible adult. Or so He thought. He would come and face Catherine this time and have Gintoki cough up the rent fee and force him if needed.
"Oh shitty four-eyes there you are!" Catherine saw Shinpachi ascend the staircase to the office. "I've come to collect the fee. Tell your stupid boss to puke out the rent. Unlike you good-for-nothings, I, a respectable working adult don't have the whole day to waste." She said in a mocking tone with her heavy accent audible. Shinpachi's right brow twitched. There's something about Catherine that annoyed him but he wasn't sure what. Maybe it's the fact that as an otaku, He worshipped Cat Ears so much after Otsu-chan shook Edo to its core when she wore the Cat Ears for the first time. And then here's this peculiar amanto who front up desecrated the Cat Ears.
"Yes I'll be sure to tell Gin-san." It was all he could say. He entered the office and Catherine followed suit. She wasn't having any of it. Today, she was determined to get the rent fee at all cost.
The office was empty and quiet. It wasn't weird. Shinpachi was used to this kind of sight every morning. Kagura and Gintoki still in their rooms, snoring the morning away. So following his routine, he went to Gintoki's room first.
"Gin-san, wake up it's already morning!" He said as he opened the door to Gintoki's room. To his surprise, the room was empty and his futon was already stored back into the cabinet. "That's weird." His eyes blinked in wonder.
"What's up, Four-eyes?" Catherine was still following Shinpachi.
"Gin-san's not here."
"Tsk. He ran away again." Catherine was pissed and stormed off to the exit. Shinpachi was kind of relieved to see her gone but was still bothered by the abrupt absence of his boss.
He went to Kagura's sleeping quarters to wake her up.
"Kagura-chan, wake up! Where's Gin-san?" Shinpachi shook Kagura by the shoulder. She was lying on her side, hugging a pillow close to her face and drool falling from the side of her mouth.
"Oh shut up Pattsan it's still midnight. Staying up late is bad for my skin!"
"It's already morning though!?"
Kagura sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Anyway, where Gin-san? He's not in his room."
"He's probably taking a long shit that's left him immobile. I read that somewhere that a long and hard poop can paralyze a person. Gin-chan's got a long and hard poop I saw it one time when he forgot to flush the toilet. He must be stuck."
At that moment, Shinpachi thought he could puke at any moment. "Uh that's enough Kagura-chan. You should get ready we still have work. And we need to look for Gin-san. Any idea where he could be aside from the toilet?" He asked.
"No. No idea." Kagura jumped off and went straight to the bathroom.
While Kagura was getting ready, Shinpachi roamed around the place to see if Gintoki had left any signs as to where He could've possibly went. He even started to think that maybe Gintoki knew Catherine would come and went hiding in advance. And just to make sure, he checked the toilet, intrigued by what Kagura said. He felt stupid after that when found out the toilet was clean and empty indicating that Gintoki could never have been there paralyzed by his long and hard poop.
What finally solved his dilemma after a while of searching was a piece of paper he found on the office table. It was a note left by Gintoki. Shinpachi picked it up and was surprised when he read what Gintoki wrote.
The Yorozuya is on a special holiday. Enjoy the rest of the day off.
P.S. Sorry for the late announcement
"What's up Pattsan found anything?"
Kagura was behind Shinpachi. She wore her usual Chinese style clothing. Red long sleeves and pants with yellow trimmings. Her hair was perfectly tied in its usual braid and cheongsam.
"Kagura-chan do you know anything about this? Gin-san said we're on a special holiday today." Shinpachi handed the note to Kagura to which she eagerly took.
"Holiday? What's a holiday, Shinpachi? Is that supposed to be amazing?" She asked.
"That means we have a rest day. But why would Gin-san do something sudden like this? It's not like him."
For a moment, Shinpachi thought of what he said just now. Kagura too and stared hard at the paper she was holding. No, it's something he'd probably do. They thought simultaneously.
"But why a rest day, Shinpachi? Don't we rest almost everyday? We hardly work. We don't need a rest day." Kagura blurted. So much for being blunt. Shinpachi thought.
"So what are you going to do, Kagura-chan? If it's really rest day today, we have nothing to do here."
"I don't know. I don't feel like playing with those stupid brats outside today. I beat them in wrestling the other day so they're probably still mad at me."
"Me too. I don't have any plans today so I have nothing else to do. If I go home early, my sister will probably kill me for skipping work."
They both sighed.
"How about we ask that old crone where Gin-chan is?" Kagura suggested. "She might know where He is."
Although Catherine was just asking for the rent fee a while ago, it was still better to ask around rather than wonder the whole day as to where Gintoki could have been.
"It's fine but you have to prepare some excuses. Catherine was here a while ago asking for the rent. Without Gin-san, we're the ones shouldering that problem."
With that, the two of them left for Otose's snack house and closed the Yorozuya for the day.
"We're already closed! Come back later!" Otose exclaimed when the door to her bar opened. "Otose-san it's us." Shinpachi answered. Kagura was behind him and following Kagura was the big Sadaharu.
"Oh, it's you guys. I heard from Catherine. Gintoki ran away again refusing to pay the rent. I'll have you guys work your asses off today if you don't pay." She lit a new cigarette. The smell of Otose's cigar filled the air. It wasn't new to Shinpachi, but it made him cough a little. Catherine was on the other side of the counter, smoking her own cigarette with the usual smug and arrogant look on her face.
"Hey old hag, give me rice with egg on top. Two servings." Kagura sat on the stool facing the bar. Shinpachi followed and sat beside her. "I don't offer free meals, China girl. Pay up or clean this place if you want one." Otose took another smoke from her cigarette and blew the smoke just above Kagura's head.
"Otose-san, we found this on Gin-san's desk." Shinpachi handed the note over the counter to Otose. Otose picked it up and read it. "Special holiday?" She raised a brow. "That's right. We were wondering of you knew where Gin-san went and why he'd do this so suddenly."
Otose stared long at the paper and asked Shinpachi. "Hmm… looks like you guys were left in the dark. He didn't tell you anything, did he?." Otose placed the paper back on the counter and blew another smoke.
"Could it be you know something, Otose-san?" Shinpachi was surprised and happy at the same time. When he finds Gintoki, the first thing he'll do is make him cough up the rent fee so that Catherine and Otose won't have to bug them all the time.
"I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you. Because if Gintoki hadn't told you, I don't think I should." She said, meeting Shinpachi's eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.
"You sound like Gin-chan's involved in some kind of illegal activities. Well I wouldn't be surprised if he's caught by the police now for sexual assault. Maybe that's the reason we took a sudden holiday." Kagura was munching on rice that was still on the rice cooker. Otose's eyes squinted.
"What the hell are you doing, China Girl!?" She yelled. "Eating…" she replied with her mouth full. The side of her mouth still had rice sticking out.
"I know you're eating. What I want to know is why you're eating my rice…" the annoyance was visible in Otose's face.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Don't you know, old hag? When you're hungry, eat! A certain Pirate King aspirant once said that."
"Why are you referencing One Piece now!? And in a fanfiction!?" Shinpachi retorted.
"Gintama should never lose its edge even in fanfiction, Pattsan." Kagura finished the last clump of rice in one big mouthful. A burp resounding inside Otose's snack house afterwards.
"Anyway, please tell us something, Otose-san!" Shinpachi begged. For some reason, He felt a sudden hint of sadness. What could it be that Gintoki hadn't told them? It made him think that maybe even after all this time, there were still parts of him that they knew nothing about.
Otose sighed. She pressed what remained of her cigarette on an ashtray that was on the counter and lit a new one. She took one deep smoke and then blew it bigger than before.
"Alright. I'll tell you. I don't think Gintoki would be the type to get mad if I blabbed about this but just in case, don't tell him I told you guys. Got it?"
They nodded. Eager ears and curious eyes were on to her now. Even Catherine who pretended the whole time to not care was failing miserably at playing indifferent. The only one who didn't seem to care st all was Sadaharu who slept in the corner.
"Yes ma'am!" Shinpachi and Kagura chorused.
"Swear it with your life."
"We swear!"
"And don't forget the rent."
There was a bit of hesitation, but Shinpachi and Kagura agreed.
"Today's an anniversary so he's probably there." She blew another smoke and stole a peek at the calendar which hanged across on the wall.
"Where?" Shinpachi and Kagura asked in chorus.
"Visiting his wife."
It felt like the world fell upon Kabukicho. Jaws were dropped and eyes wide open in shock. Shinpachi and Kagura could feel an electric shock running through their spines. Cringing at the thought of 'wife'. Catherine who tried so hard to suppress her curiosity was betrayed by her face, completely showing the shock and dismay.
"W-WIFE!?" They chorused.
Kagura jumped off the stool and ran outside. "Everyone! The world is going to end! I'm sorry but we're all gonna die!" She screamed, running around the neighborhood. This earned her disgusted looks from the neighbors and passerbys.
Shinpachi remained seated but was crying. His sobs were accompanied by his muffled voice as he desperately tried to say something. "O-otsu-chan's career is gonna end! No!" He cried again.
Catherine was on her knees, mumbling. The shock still visible in her eyes. "If- if by chance, the Earth will end, Otose-san, I hope you'll let me inheri-"
A ball of fist came crashing down on Catherine's left cheek. So hard she heard a crack upon impact. She fell hard on the ground as Otose was fuming hot, pissed about the reactions of those around her.
"Aren't you guys overreacting!?" Her scream echoing throughout Kabukicho.
"So… the next time you pull out a stunt like that, I won't tell you the rest of the story. Got it?" Otose lit a another cigar and blew the smoke right into the faces of her listeners.
"Y-yes ma'am. We're very sorry." they chorused.
Kagura and Shinpachi each had small bumps on their heads from where Otose had hit them. Catherine being the only exception. She had been punched in the face which resulted to small black eye on her left and on the side of her mouth.
"Why'd I get hit too?" Catherine murmured.
"You were talking about my inheritance, no?"
Otose was about to continue where she left off when Tama came in from The door that divided Otose's bar from her house.
"Otose-sama, I have finished cleaning the house. Are there anything else I can help you with?" She asked.
"Oh! Tama! Did you know Gin-chan has a wife?" Kagura blurted out of nowhere, still under the influence of her shock.
The news spread like malware as the information travelled through Tama's artificial brain. Like a defense mechanism, Tama's system suddenly shut down, leaving her eyes half open and jaws dropped. A spark of electricity lit on the side of her neck.
Otose cleared her throat and smoked another cigarette. A popped vein slightly visible on one side of her temples.
"Again, if you guys try to pull another stunt like that, you're gonna get a hit from me and you won't hear the rest of the story."
"Yes ma'am…" they chorused again. This time, Tama was present and with a hot bump on her forehead.
"New data uncovered. Gintoki-sama is married." Tama was still processing the unbelievable information.
Shinpachi was sulking in great disbelief.
"Why would Gin-san not tell us anything? And what do you mean he has a wife? I've never seen Gin-san with a woman before!" He blurted.
"That's right old hag! Gin-chan in all his life could never get a woman! No one would want a good for nothing like that!" Kagura supported Shinpachi.
"You guys are good for nothing, too." Otose finished the newly lit cigarette and threw it into the ashtray, lighting another one. "I understand how you feel but it's true."
"Then why would Gin-san not live with his wife?" Shinpachi asked. "Or rather, why would Gin-san's wife not live with him?"
"She probably divorced him, Shinpachi. Or maybe Gin-san was such a pervert she had to live separately from him…" Kagura and her ideas made Shinpachi think it could be possible. Otose sighed. "That's why I told you to let me finish the story. You and your crazy ideas."
The door to Otose's bar opened once again. "Hey it's daytime. We're still closed. Come back at night." She told the customer who just entered. Otose's listeners looked together at the man who just entered.
He was a tall man with brown hair. He had a goatee and wore an open and short, red jacket paired with red pants that were cut just a few inches below the knees. His distinguishing feature however, was his sunglasses. It was Hasegawa Taizo.
"Oh, I see. I was hoping I could drown my sorrows with a glass of cheap rum but I guess I'll just drown myself in that river up ahead. See ya." He said with a glum look on his face.
"Madao! Did you know Gin-chan has a wife?" Kagura blurted again.
Hasegawa teared as he turned to face the exit. "See? I'm even hearing things I'm not supposed to hear. Maybe I should really drown myse-"
"For the last time…"
Otose muttered under her breath. Two veins popped on both sides of Otose's temples, visibly showing the annoyance and anger in her face. The exaggerated reactions of the people surrounding her, interrupted her storytelling making her go back to the start as soon as she knocked the senses back to them. She lit another cigarette but this time with difficulty. Her anger caused her to miss the cigarette several times when she lit it with a lighter.
"If you guys pull another stunt like that, I'll stop. And Kagura, didn't I tell you not to tell?" Otose looked at Kagura.
"You said not to tell Gin-chan you told us." Completely clueless about the situation.
"Kagura-chan, this might be a sensitive topic so it's better if we keep this among ourselves." The concern in Shinpachi's voice made Kagura stop and think. For a short while after, She agreed not to tell anyone anymore.
"Still, what's this joke about Gin-san having a wife? I almost killed myself. You're not supposed to make jokes that could hurt other people's feelings, you know." Hasegawa pointed a finger at Kagura.
"We don't want to hear that from you! You're just as hopeless as Gin-san but you're married!" Shinpachi retorted with his usual tsukkomi tone.
Hasegawa scratched the bump on his head. The one Otose gave him. He sat on one of the customer's couch and decided to listen to the rest of the tory. He didn't have anything to do so perhaps it might be a good past time to listen to this interesting story. And maybe get a free meal, too.
"Gintoki married a girl five years ago. They had a lot going on as a couple, but they stayed strong. I was there and I saw everything." The bar was silent now. At long last, everyone was listening intently to Otose.
"She came from a high class family of samurai. She was supposed to marry a samurai from another well known family. If she hadn't met Gintoki, she would've done so, as is her duty as a daughter. But love does crazy things and when She met Gintoki, she left everything she had and followed him." Otose blew the smoke from her cigarette that made past through the bewildered faces of her listeners.
"G-Gin-san had a girl follow him!?" So much for surprises. "I-impossible!" Shinpachi screamed.
Catherine was in a state of shock. "Poor girl. I wonder what kind of hardships she went through to the point she'd pick a man like Gin-san." she covered her mouth and made a muffling sob.
Hasegawa didn't say anything. He knew his opinion wasn't going to be valid anyway so he kept his own rude thoughts to himself.
"Well, say what you want but that's what happened. I don't think she regretted it though. If anything, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to her." As Otose tried to remember the happenings five years ago, a small smile crept on her face.
Her name was Hatamoto Chika. She was from a family of samurai. A retainer to the shogun.
It was five in the morning. He blinked several times while staring at the Justaway alarm clock just beside him. He set the time to ring at 6:30 but for some reason, probably out of habit, he woke up earlier than he intended. Today was the day.
He fixed his futon and placed it back into the cabinet. He took the clock and turned the alarm off. Whenever his clock alarmed, you'd hear no end to it unless you get up and turn it off.
To prepare for the day, he went straight to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He immediately put on his clothes and kimono with his wooden sword hanging on his left waist. Walking past Kagura's sleeping quarter, Gintoki remembered he hadn't told them anything. So as a last resort, he grabbed a small piece of paper under his desk drawer and wrote a note announcing a special holiday.
The Yorozuya is on a special holiday. Enjoy the rest of the day off.
P.S. Sorry for the late announcement
She had a plain face. She wasn't beautiful nor was she ugly. She wasn't the type who'd draw attention but she captured Gintoki's heart nonetheless.
With that, he took off with his scooter. Edo this early only had a few stores open but as a routine, Gintoki knew the ones that were open at this time of the day. First, he needed a cake.
There was a particular cake shop that's open 24/7 in Edo. It stood out among the others at this time of the day as the store was the only source of light in that particular street. It was a small one. More like a cafe than a cake shop, really. But Gintoki knew more than anyone else, the cakes and other sweets here were good. He especially loved the Strawberry shortcake. But last year and the year before, and maybe even the previous one, he bought the same cake so this time, he was going to try something different. A chocolate mousse cake perhaps. She did like chocolate.
During their time together, Gintoki was a tamer version of himself. He never lost that hopelessness in him but at that time, he had something to protect.
"Oh, boss you're here again! Is it that time of the year already?" The owner saw Gintoki from across the glass that separated him from the cakes. He was old. Maybe fifty-five to sixty years old. His eyes squinted hinting that his eyesight was no longer as good as it used to. His head only had little hair left. The center was bald and only his sides had hair with majority of it white from aging.
"That's right. Can you give me that Chocolate Mousse Cake?" Gintoki pointed at the round cake, covered in chocolate and intricate flower designs.
"As expected of the Sweets King. That's a limited edition we have. We just released it so no one has bought it yet. You might just be the first one to!" He smiled.
"I'll take that. Also, care to give me some discount? I'm a patron here after all." Gintoki raised his right hand and rubbed his index and thumb fingers together.
"Under normal circumstances, I won't give you any but since today is a special day, I' give you a 10% discount." Gintoki was not satisfied.
"20%" he replied.
"15%"
"Got it."
Gintoki got the cake under a 15% discount. He also bought a box of donuts and two cups of sweetened coffee from the cake shop. He placed the goods on his scooter and tied them. Careful not to damage the cake. He wore his helmet and went off to his next destination.
Another store Gintoki had on his list was a good old flower shop in Edo. It wasn't open 24/7 but the owners wake up early in the morning to tend to the flowers. And Gintoki being a patron, was welcome to place an order this early in the morning. Standing in front of the shop, he remembered his neighbor Hedoro. He, too, was a florist. It would've been easier and nearer to get the flowers from him, but the thought made him shudder. Hedoro was too damn scary.
The storefront had flowers of different sizes, colors, and variety displayed. It had a big glass that was still covered indicating the store was still closed. The door was made of wood, with a glass in the center just inches above the door knob.
Gintoki wasn't much into flowers so he had no idea what to get every time. He always left it to the store owner to design the flowers for him.
The faint light from inside the store was a good sign. The owner was already up. He knocked on the door and called out.
"Sorry to knock so early in the morning. It's me, Gintoki." He said in a flat tone.
The door slowly opened and someone peeked through the opened gap.
"Oh dear! Gin-san! It's been a while. Is it that time of the year already?" A woman in her mid thirties opened the door wide at the sight of Gintoki. She had long brown hair and eyes. Her head was covered in a yellow bandana. She wore a blue dress and white apron over it.
"Yeah can you give me your prettiest bouquet? I want balloons too and also…" Gintoki raised his right hand rubbed his index finger and thumb again. "Give me a discount…"
The store owner smiled. "Under normal circumstances, I won't give you one but since it's a special day today, I'll give you a 10% discount."
"20%"
"15%"
"Done."
Gintoki sat on the couch while the store owner made the bouquet Gintoki requested. An hour later, the store owner came in from her office, carrying the bouquet of flowers in one hand and the other a small basket with a silver-colored teddy bear. Inside the basket, together with the bear were small flowers and chocolates. Wrapped around the bear's arms, were the strings of small pastel-colored balloons, floating.
As for the bouquet, pink and white roses complimented each other perfectly. The white roses on top and pink ones encircling the bottom. The pastel colors of the small flowers also added to the beauty and the color green from the leaves of those small flowers, added depth to design. The store owner knew that Gintoki and the recipient of the flowers knew they liked sweets so she placed a few pieces of chocolate balls wrapped in gold foil on the bouquet.
Gintoki smiled at the sight of the flowers and balloons. Exactly what he wanted. He thanked the owner and paid up, went to his scooter and tied the goodies carefully so that it wouldn't fall during the ride.
Everything was ready and He was set to see her again. He wore his helmet and just as he was about to undo the scooter stand, something out of nowhere hit the side of his face and sent him flying to the other side of the street.
Gintoki fell flat on his face. He picked himself up, and covered his nose when a drop of blood fell. Still in shock, he scanned his surroundings to look for the possible cause of his sudden flight. It didn't take long when the perpetrator voluntarily stood in front of him.
Great. Gintoki muttered under his breath. It was a woman Gintoki knew so well. She stood with her arms crossed. She had purple hair hanging down to her waist and wore a ninja attire. What was surprising this time, however was how she looked down at Gintoki with confused eyes underneath her glasses. It's the pig.
"Hey, what's the deal with sending people flying so early in the morning? Don't tell me you've been following me since I went out."
Gintoki sat, legs crossed. His hand still covering his bleeding nose.
"Correction. I was following you since last week." She adjusted her glasses with the lens flashing.
"That's even worse!" Gintoki stood up. "Anyway, stop following me or I'll throw you. Got it?" He started to walk his way back to his scooter. Good thing though the goods weren't damaged. The stand was still equipped when He was sent flying.
"What's wrong Gin-san? Your voice lacks terror today in some way. Is this your way of messing me up? Not being strict today? I see. That's still strict in a way. Not being strict with me. Fine. Bring it on!"
"What's messed up is your brain. Leave me alone, alright?"
Sarutobi was used to Gintoki's harsh words. She found it humiliating at first but sooner found it enjoyable. Even though most days Gintoki was annoyed with her, he put up with it. This time however, Sarutobi sensed something different in Gintoki's voice.
"Gin-san?" She called out.
"What? Finally decided to leave me alone?" He looked back, his hand still covering his nose.
"To whom is the pleasure of Gin-san's affection? If you'd let me, I'd like to know."
Sarutobi caught Gintoki by surprise. His lips slightly parting from shock. He wanted to refuse but seeing the determined look on Sarutobi's face, he couldn't bring himself to reject her.
"Fine. But you carry the cake,donuts, coffee, flowers, and balloon. If You damage them even a little, I'll throw you."
Sarutobi smiled and obliged. She sat behind Gintoki with a little space in between to make room for the goods He bought. Good thing there was an extra helmet on his scooter. He wouldn't wanna be arrested today of all days.
You won't believe how he religiously paid the rent every month. I could hardly believe it.
Gintoki showed her a world she never knew and She showed him a world he thought he'd never know.
Those were happy times. But the sad part of their marriage was that everything wouldn't last. Sooner or later, it would've ended whether they liked it or not.
"Hey, Gin-san we've been travelling for quite some time now. Where are we going exactly?" Sarutobi asked with a hint of gladness in her voice. They travelled for about an hour now and what Sarutobi noticed was that they were getting farther from the city proper of Edo. As minutes passed, they arrived into a remote area.
Trees of different sizes greeted them side by side as they rode to an upward slope. The road was small with only two lanes, making Gintoki's scooter the best mode of transportation.
"The remoteness of this area… are you taking me out on a date, Gin-san? I see so you're into forests huh. Not small rooms anymore. You want to try something new?" Gintoki's brow twitched.
"Shut up you pig or I'll seriously throw you. Seriously." He warned. "This place is still part of Edo. The only reason why this place looks remote is because it's private property. But, you probably know that."
Of course, Sarutobi knew. Being a part of the Oniwabanshu, she was familiar with the Tokugawa clan and its retainers and where their households and lands were located. This one in particular, belonged to the Hatamoto clan if she wasn't mistaken.
"We're here…" The scooter stopped. In front of them was a steep hill with stairs made out of rocks. It looked like it wasn't there for long. Sarutobi eyed it curiously and deduced that perhaps it was made five or four years ago.
"Come on, let's go." Gintoki took the lead and climbed the stairs. In his left hand was the bouquet and in his right, the cake. There was no tension as far as Sarutobi could tell but what she observed was that the usual dumb look on Gintoki's face was absent. Instead, he had that melancholic look plastered all over his face.
After what seemed like two hundred steps, they finally reached the top. At first glance, it wasn't anything special. There was an old tree so big its top branches spread and covered almost all at the top of the hill. Its stem was wide and thick enough to cover four people. What made her wonder most of all was that the recipient of Gin-san's affections was nowhere to be found.
Gintoki however, continued to walk towards the tree. Sarutobi followed suit in a run after realizing she was getting left behind.
Slowly, Gintoki disappeared into the shadow behind the tree.
Sarutobi thought she smelled a fading scent of incense.
It felt like the spirits were waiting for Gintoki to arrive. The wind blew so hard, it made the branches swing and dance. Its leaves big and small, falling and fluttering around him as he knelt to the ground. The grass and flowers covering the hill swayed and dandelion seeds flew everywhere as the wind blew harder. The birds on the tree branches sang harmoniously as if celebrating his arrival.
Beneath the tree was a two-layered, square mound erecting from the ground. Slowly, Gintoki placed the cake and flowers down on the cemented part.
With his right hand, he traced the name he knew so well, carved into the stone mound.
The reason was something beyond what they could fix.
Sarutobi's mouth opened in shock as she saw the carved name.
SAKATA CHIKA
The reason why Gintoki doesn't live with her anymore isn't something as stupid as him being a sexual offender.
A silent teardrop fell from her left eye as she saw Gintoki slowly tracing the carved name. His mouth was curved into a small smile, but his eyes were sad.
Under his breath, she heard him whisper.
Four years ago on this very day, Gintoki's wife, Chika, passed away.
"I'm back, Chika…"