This is Chapter 2! Enjoy!

"What?" Tsukuyo said with a puzzled face.

"I don't like repeating things. You and I will marry. That's it!" Tokimasa announced.

Tsukuyo seemed fazed by the question. There was no possible way that she would marry anybody, let alone a short stranger in her home.

That's when Hinowa cut in.

"I'm grateful that you are serious about this but I think that we should listen to Tsukuyo's opinion. Eh Tsukuyo?"

"Leave. I have no intention of marrying right now," Tsukuyo said with a staunch expression.

Tokimasa smiled and started laughing. "You don't get it do you? I am Iwakura Tokimasa! What I want I will get!"

"Knock it off!" Tsukuyo screamed at him as she landed a kick on the face of Tokimasa. The movement was too quick for either Onji or Ariwa to react. Then Tsukuyo grabbed Tokimasa and put him in the same headlock that Seita was in under the muscular Ariwa, only this time she has a kunai pointed at Tokimasa.

"Master!" Ariwa and Onji exclaimed in worry.

"Let Seita-kun go!" Tsukuyo threatened.

Ariwa, worried, released Seita from his headlock. Seita then quickly ran over to his mother who embraced him.

"Release master you fowl woman!" Onji yelled at Tsukuyo.

"Only if you promise to leave and never return to Yoshiwara!" Tsukuyo shouted back. She put the kunai a hair's length from Tokimasa's neck.

Tokimasa then started laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm beginning to like you more and more, Tsukuyo," Tokimasa stated. "Here's the last part of this 'business' proposal, Tsukuyo, if you don't marry me, I will wreak havoc all over Yoshiwara. I will hire the greatest men to take you and the Hundred Blooms down. And even if you somehow manage to take them down. My father's influence with shady people and his large shipping business will ensure that I will feed endless amounts of illegal drugs into this pathetic city"

Tokimasa laughed even louder. His laughter screechy and frightening and revealing his Grinch-like teeth.

"Don't bother killing me either," Tokimasa said as he caught the movement of Tsukuyo's hand. "My father will go crazy if I die and he will not stop until he has pulverized all of Yoshiwara!"

Tsukuyo felt the grip on her kunai lower. There was no serious stop to this madness. "So what will be the choice, Tsukuyo? Marry me or shall I destroy everything precious to you?"

Tsukuyo felt sick. Her head was spinning. "I…."

"Tsukuyo would never marry a jerk like you! Gin-san would never allow it!" Seita cut her off.

This sparked an idea to Hinowa, now the ball was on her court.

"You don't know do you?" Hinowa asked.

"About what?" Tokimasa asked.

"The man that has liberated all of Yoshiwara! The Messiah that has freed this city from a reign of terror twice in a short time. Sakata Gintoki. This man happens to be acquainted with Tsukuyo, and he would not hesitate to save Yoshiwara a third time," Hinowa threatened with a sinister smile.

This was unexpected. Tokimasa did not imagine that that Messiah would be close to Tsukuyo. This was playing very unfavorably to his hand. But he thought of an idea. An evil idea.

"Release me woman!" Tokimasa proclaimed in frustration.

Tsukuyo released her deadly grip on him.

Tokimasa was then assisted by Ariwa and Onji who quickly gave Tokimasa a cigar to smoke.

"But I will not give up on you, Tsukuyo or my fail-safe plan of destroying Yoshiwara. Tomorrow at 6 P.M., bring your 'messiah' to Chiba, where I was born in, and meet me at Jade's Palace. Just you Tsukuyo and this 'messiah'. No one else," Tokimasa then gestured to his bodyguards as they left.

Yorozuya

"Huh?" Sakata Gintoki said as he picked his nose. "You want me to go with you all the way to Chiba?"

Tsukuyo, seated on the couch of the Yorozuya, sighed. "It's something serious. Please. I beg of you."

This made Gintoki reconsider. He remembered how Hinowa said that Tsukuyo often keeps things to herself and never opens up.

"OK. But you're paying for everything," Gintoki agreed.

"Gin-san! You're really agreeing to all this?" Shinpachi said in shock.

"How can you leave us?" Kagura asked.

Gintoki got up and put on his kimono and got his wooden sword.

"You two can take care of Yorozuya. I believe in you," Gintoki said as he patted both Shinpachi and Kagura on their heads.

Then they left.

Chiba

Walking down the streets of Chiba was very hectic; the town's folk were all busy on their own routines. Gintoki and Tsukuyo walked down quietly next to each other.

That's when Gintoki noticed a dango stand.

(Dango is a Japanese dumpling similar to mochi)

"Oui, oui, look at these dangoes!" he exclaimed.

Gintoki felt his stomach grumble. He and Tsukuyo traveled all night to get to Chiba.

"Tsukuyo, lend me 250 yen really quick. I wanna buy some dango!" Gintoki asked.

Tsukuyo sighed. His demeanor never changed. She took out some money and handed it to Gintoki.

Later, they were walking down the street again, both eating dango.

"What are we looking for again?" Gintoki asked.

"Jade's Palace. It should be around here," Tsukuyo noted. That's when she saw a green sign saying Jade's Palace in hiragana.

Jade's Palace

Seated in a normal restaurant atmosphere, the place was bustling; Tsukuyo and Gintoki sat across a table from Tokimasa.

"So you are the legendary messiah of Yoshiwara?" Tokimasa asked. He put up his chin with a cigar in his mouth to size up Gintoki.

"No," Gintoki answered. He sipped the strawberry milk that was served.

"What? Then who the hell are you?" Tokimasa asked. He was taken by the abrupt denial.

Gintoki started eating rice. "I'm just here 'cuz this lady asked me," pointing to Tsukuyo.

Ariwa then whispered something into Tokimasa's ear. "That man is indeed Sakata Gintoki. Silver hair. Wooden sword. No doubt about it. He's probably just sizing you up, sir."

Tokimasa bit his teeth. This fish-eyed man is the savior that everyone in Yoshiwara talks about? He thought. No matter. Everything is going according to plan.

"How do you like Chiba?" Tokimasa asked with a smile.

"Oh. Not bad. The dango they serve here is really good," Gintoki answered.

Tsukuyo, throughout the whole process, remained relatively uneasy. She felt unsafe. Even if she could kill Tokimasa in a heartbeat, she felt as if there was danger looming.

"You should come here more often. The weather is good year round," Tokimasa said. He was stalling right now.

"Eh. The commute is really a hassle…" Gintoki coughed a couple of times.

"Be careful. Don't eat too much Gintoki," Tsukuyo as she patted his back.

"Yeah I know," Gintoki said as he continued to cough loudly.

Gintoki then felt something slippery on his hand. He glanced at his hand. It was blood!

"Waa!" Tokimasa yelled as sent Gintoki flying with his punch.

Gintoki stumbled backwards and collided to another table.

Everyone in the restaurant suddenly gasped and looked on.

Tsukuyo got up to defend Gintoki but was stopped by Onji who grabbed her hand.

"If you interfere, master will kill him. There was poison in his strawberry milk," Onji whispered to Tsukuyo. The fact appalled Tsukuyo.

"You wanna fight over my woman huh?" Tokimasa shouted out loud to Gintoki. The short petite man grabbed his collar and threw him onto the ground.

Gintoki was gasping for air. He couldn't breathe. That's when he was greeted with punches as Tokimasa crouched down and began punching him in the face.

Tokimasa snapped his fingers. Ariwa appeared immediately. Ariwa picked up the body of Gintoki and threw out the front door of the restaurant.

Gintoki was in total shock right now. What did he drink? That's right, the strawberry milk. It didn't taste funny. But right now, he couldn't breathe.

"Don't come near my woman!" Tokimasa exclaimed loudly to Gintoki. Of course, it was all an act to garner more attention. And attention it drew, an immense crowd gathered around the petite man and the helpless samurai getting pummeled.

"You wanna fight over Tsukuyo? You came to the wrong turf!" Tokimasa continued to pound Gintoki with cheap punches to the face.

Onji forced Tsukuyo outside.

"Look at him!" Tokimasa yelled at Tsukuyo. His face furious and red. "This weakling, could this pathetic garbage bring you happiness?"

"Gintoki!" Tsukuyo yelled as tears formed in her eyes as she broke free from Onji's grip.

Gintoki lay there, helpless, and unmoving. Tsukuyo ran to his aid. She picked him up from the ground. His face was cold.

"Gintoki! Get yerself together!" She screamed at him but Gintoki did not respond.

That's when Tokimasa approached behind her.

"I reckon that this loser has about a minute to live. I have the antidote that can relieve him from his pain and he might live. You have until then to decide if you want to marry me or watch this man die in vain and Yoshiwara go in flames!" Tokimasa whispered to Tsukuyo. He laughed out loud.

"Okay…." Tsukuyo agreed almost immediately. Tears shed from her eyes. Then Tokimasa pretended to unintentionally drop something onto the ground. It was a container with a sharp needle.

Tsukuyo fumbled the container and quickly injected the needle onto Gintoki's neck. Gintoki's face turned red as he gasped for air. His surroundings soon became aware to him. He noticed that he was on Tsukuyo's lap who was crying.

Gintoki then slowly got up.

"Get outta here loser!" the crowd began taunting him. The onlookers were impervious to what actually happened. They were distracted by Tokimasa and his showboating behind Tsukuyo and Gintoki.

"Wuss! You got owned!" the crowd jeered at him.

"Leave! You're stinking up the air with your patheticness!" the crowd's jeers got louder and rowdier.

"Tsukuyo. What happened?" Gintoki asked as he put his hand on Tsukuyo's shoulder.

Bam! Another punch hit Gintoki. The poison had destroyed his ability to react momentarily. It was someone in the crowd, a man with a noticeable slash scar on his face. "You have no right to touch her you scum!"

Tsukuyo realized what would happen next. The males of the onlookers would seek to show their dominance and pummel the helpless Gintoki. But that was better than him dying of poison.

Gintoki, on the floor, receiving blow after blow, extended his hand to Tsukuyo, as if to find meaning to this.

"Goodbye Gintoki," Tsukuyo said with tears as she left.

Rain fell from the sky, leaving a helpless, bruised and beated body on the middle of the road. No, the sun is not shining in Chiba.

Author's Note: It's a bit longer than the last one. But I promise it'll get better!