Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It is owned by the awesome Sorachi Hideaki-sensei, Sunrise and Shueisha.
Rating: T
Genre: Romance, Tragedy
Summary: An annual festival at Yoshiwara creates a chance for Gintoki to learn more about the death of Shouyou-sensei, while Tsukuyo learns upon the truth of her abandonment.
Author's Notes: Thank you for all those who have read this and gave their reviews and much like everyone else out there! I love you guys! Actually, I was kinda undecided whether I'm going to post this fic or not 'cause I wasn't confident enough about the story, but thanks to everyone's support, I think I was freed from my delusions and now I'm quite excited about updating this. THANK YOU! :) And sorry for the late update, real life keepin' me busy. XD
Truth be told, I really enjoyed writing that scene in the woods – that was my favorite! 3 And yes, spoilers are up to the latest chapters of the manga, you have been warned! The Kintama arc was the best serious arc for me – and yes, that was my inspiration for this. Are you still keeping up with the anime? Been addicted to OP2, Dilemma by Ecosystem! Too bad the OP's only up to January, but since FLiP's gonna perform the 3rd OP, then it's all okay!
Again, before anything else, there's a dirrrrrty scene here where it should be Rated M. (YMMV though) But, I assume that all of you readers are aware of how dirty Sorachi's mind works, and how full of d*ck jokes his stories were, so I think it's alright.
Truth
(信実 Shinjitsu)
A Gintama Fanfiction
By Kurasuchi~
XOXOX
CHAPTER 2
"Not all strangers that you meet should be ignored, and not all pretty women that you meet should be hit on."
XOXOX
He was alone.
He was always alone. And now, it happened again. His heart ached, his stomach grumbled, and yet, here he was, all alone. He had no one to share things with; he had no family to turn in to, and most importantly, he did not even have any friends. No matter where he was, he was alone – just like the corpses in the battlefield, the place where he was right now.
The calming sight of the settling sun made the young boy seem out of place in this wonderful spectacle. He mused that if anyone were to stare at it, they would be delighted at the sight, but unlike them, it only made the ache in his heart more painful. He can only stare at it, and in turn, take a bite on what he supposed was something edible.
He watched silently at the hundreds of crows gathering upon the flesh of the dead patriots, their rotting bodies lying lifelessly on the ground, serving only as food for those ferocious carnivores. And yet, he went on munching on what he supposed was an onigiri, and continued on sitting on one of the corpses,with a sword clutched in his sides, even as the heap of bodies around him had katanas unsheathed and pierced upon their flesh, their blood drying up in the cold, humid air.
His lazy, crimson eyes reflected nothing. He…felt nothing.
His silver locks were now dirtied by mud and blood, his tattered clothes being in the worst position, and yet, he didn't give a damn.
As long as the war continued, his life would always be the same. It will never end.
Here he was… and he was alone.
"Only a demon could eat peacefully while surrounded by corpses.."
Startled, the silver-haired boy cocked his head, only to meet face-to-face with a man with long, flowing locks of hair, carrying a face of a man full of wisdom, and a determined pair of eyes that has even managed to break the lifelessness out of the young boy's eyes.
He only stared at him.
"And how about you?"
The man moved forward, as if approaching him.
"To be honest though," he added, his hand finding its place on top of the boy's head. "You seem too cute to be a demon."
The boy, however, swatted his hand away, and immediately grabbed his sword, his hands starting to unsheathe the blunt blade of his katana.
He expected the man to even flinch a bit at his actions, and yet, here he was, smiling at him as if his actions were no more than a child's play. True, he was a child, but if he truly wished for it, he could easily cut him down. Why is he so unaffected?
Instead, the man only continued on moving forward.
"Did you find that among the other corpses as well? Hiding here alone among the corpses.. Is that the means you chose to protect yourself?"
The boy felt a trail of sweat trickle down his face. This was no ordinary man.
"I'll say it – I'm impressed. However…"
He shouldn't let his guard down. He shouldn't let his guard down, not now, not even to this man.
"..You're not using that sword correctly. There's no meaning in simply wielding a sword if it's just to scare others and protect yourself.."
The young boy was surprised to see the man toss over his own sword to him, not caring what may happen to him as he left himself unarmed. He winced at the weight of his sword – yes, it was heavy, but the thing that made it heavier was the fact that it came from this man. A stranger, a weird one, even – and he gave away his sword to him as if it was the most natural thing to do.
This action ignited his curiosity. Just what is with this man, that he was able to see him so differently?
"This is my sword… go on and take it," he then trailed off, as he turned his back to him and walked away from him. "If you're interested in learning more about that blade, follow me. However, from now on you must understand…"
The boy can only stare at the man, his eyes that were once filled with nothingness now filled with life.
"The blade is not to cut down your enemies.. nor is it to cut away your own weaknesses. A sword isn't meant to protect your body; a sword.. is meant for protecting your soul."
Hearing these words, the young boy felt himself move from his position, his stolen onigiri and blunt katana long discarded on the ground. He did not know what he was doing, actually. He just felt his own body move towards that person – towards the person whose soul seemed to dazzle amidst the rotting corpses on that battlefield. He had never seen such a person before… and yet, even so, what is he doing? Why is he not attacking him? All his life, he had seen so much bloodshed, so much sorrow, so much pain.. The Amanto were ruthless, the samurai were overwhelmed, and he was caught up in it all. And yet, here he was, not only was he talking to him and giving him words of wisdom like an old sage, but he even gave him his sword, his only protection, and what's more, he even invited him to come with him!
That man… was different. He felt his heart at ease when he talked to him, despite being a complete stranger. And now, he was walking behind him, following him as they cross this battlefield filled with corpses of both humans and Amanto. He did not know what was wrong with him for following this man. The only thing he knew was that somehow, he felt that if he followed that man, he could find peace. If he followed that man, then he could find something valuable in his life.
If he followed that man, then he could make his life more meaningful, and he would be able to find what he was looking for.
The young boy kept on following him, until he stopped.
"It seems that you are willing to join me now, I suppose?" inquired the young man, earning a small nod from the silver-haired boy. The young man took notice of the boy's appearance, sensing the change in his blood-red eyes. He smiled.
He then patted the boy's head, and ran his fingers through the boy's naturally-permed hair. "I'm glad that you have opened up to me. I'm Yoshida Shouyou, but you can call me Shouyou-sensei if you like. All of my students call me that."
Shouyou..sensei? So, he was a teacher then? That explains why he carried such an aura.
"What's your name, little boy?"
The young boy in question only stared blankly at the young man, as if he did not even know what he was supposed to say. The teacher was about to speak when he was surprised to hear a small sound coming out of the boy's lips.
"…kata… Gin… to..ki.."
The young man furrowed his eyebrow as he became curious on what he was saying. He squatted down and leaned closer towards the boy, his eyes still focused on the crimson orbs that the child has.
"I'm… Sakata.. Gintoki…"
"So.. you're Gintoki-kun, huh?" replied the young man, who then stood up with his arms outstretched. Before the boy knew it, he was already on the young man's back, carrying him in a piggyback.
Gintoki felt at ease at Shouyou-sensei's warm, broad back. He tightened his hold around his neck, not too much in order not to strangle him, but just enough to make him assured that he won't fall out of this man's back. He rested his head on his shoulder, and listened contently at the sound of his breathing.
And for the first time that day, he smiled.
Content with the warmth that his new teacher had given him, Gintoki finally relaxed himself on his sensei's back. He felt the dawn of sleep rush up on him and even though he tried to fight against it, his efforts were futile. He felt sleepy, yet he still wasn't asleep at all, so he listened to the young man's footsteps against the ground.
He breathed in slowly, his tiredness getting its way out of him.
"Gintoki-kun," the teacher suddenly spoke, "you are not alone anymore. I know that I am not in the position to pry at your past, but whatever it is, always remember that you have your comrades with you, that you have people who care about you, and people who will care about you."
The silver-haired boy, though half-asleep, was touched by his sensei's words. Being tossed in the battlefield for all his life, it was the first time that he was ever comforted with such nice words. But the thing is.. should he really trust this man? Yes, he felt at ease with Shouyou-sensei, but due to his experience, he knew that he shouldn't trust others too easily. However, faced with his kindness, with his compassion, with his warm words… Gintoki was at a loss.
"No matter what the circumstances are, stand tall and fight it head on. Do things at your own pace. Stand up to what you believe in. Be guided by your own heart – I know that it must've been hard on you, but you're not alone, and always remember that. From now on, I'll be here.. I'll support you in everything, and in turn, let us watch each other's backs."
Gintoki could not help himself as his eyes brimmed with tears upon hearing his teacher's words. Sure, it was clichéd, but it really did help him ease the pain in his heart. He didn't have any friends, or a family, but if he's with Shouyou-sensei, he felt that he can finally have that – the thing that he's been wishing for all his life.
"I am here for you. And soon, you'll have friends who'll be waiting for you. Whether you're a man or a woman, it isn't a shame to shed tears when you're in pain. Cry all you want – it's alright. You're not alone anymore.. you are not alone."
Gintoki let his tears fall freely on his cheeks, his teacher's clothes now damp with tears. At that moment, he felt as if it were fate to let him meet this man, as from this point forward, he had a newfound direction in his life.
He decided that even when he gets old, he will never forget that moment, he will never forget that day, he will never forget that man, and he will never forget those words.
He would always keep them in his heart, until the day he dies.
XOXOX
"Nnnnn.. mfghmmmmmph… nnnnnn…"
The lone voice rose through the darkness as a young man in his twenties scratched his eyes with a huge yawn. He tried to open his eyes, but it won't budge.
It has been quite a time since he dreamt about that incident once again. The last time he recalled that memory was when he fought with Jiraia, but somehow, even though dreams of his past kept on haunting him, he did not give any damn about it. He would deal with it when the time comes.
He scratched his head in annoyance. Open, my damn eyes! Open!
Seeing that his eyelids have finally budged, he opened his eyes and took a look at what he assumed was the ceiling. He can't see anything clearly, the lights were out… Did Kagura play with the circuit breaker again?
He was about to pick his nose when his hand accidentally touched his cheek. It was wet.
Was he crying? No friggin' way. Why was he crying?
He then remembered that he had a dream. A dream.. about an incident that he would never forget. He.. well.. he was.. was..
Eh? What was the incident about again? What was his dream about again?
I.. can't remember..!
Then… then why was I crying? Don't tell me I've gone all gay that I've been crying in my sleep! What am I, a brokenhearted maiden in love?
Gintoki grumbled in annoyance as he noticed that his futon was gone. Did he sleep on the floor? He's still at Yorozuya Gin-chan, right? Sure, they had gone to Yoshiwara yesterday for a festival, and then they were escorted home by a truck, and what's next? He would wake up on a very hot room with no lights – wait, was it a blackout? – and then realize that he slept on the floor and not on his comfy futon, and then find out that he'd been crying in his sleep? What an annoying morning! And he didn't even have his daily sugar intake today! He needed sugar to function properly, dammit!
Scratching his head in annoyance, he turned around only to meet face-to-face with the sleeping figure of a girl whose face was covered with scars, but nonetheless, was still beautiful. The sight of her made him freeze on the spot that he was unable to make any sound.
WHY… WHY IS SHE ON BED WITH ME?
DON'T TELL ME THAT IN MY JUMP, I'VE FRIGGIN' PASSED THE K-POINT AGAIN?
"O-oi. Tsu—tsu- Tsukuyo," he started, still shocked at the situation, as he sat down and nudged the sleeping girl. "Tsukuyo! WAKE UP! OI!"
He nudged her once again, but to no avail. The girl didn't seem to be waking up, and Gintoki gulped nervously. What the hell did they do last night?
He fumbled with his chest, only to feel something weird. It wasn't his clothes, so based on experience, it can only be bandages. Panicking, he fumbled for his clothes down there, only to find that he was still wearing it. He sighed in relief on the fact that nothing happened between the two of them last night, and he felt even happier that Tsukuyo still had her clothes on.
"What an awful morning," he grimaced, stifling a yawn on his hand as he looked at Tsukuyo's sleeping form. "And you...how can you sleep so peacefully?"
Her soft, sleeping breaths were her only reply to his one-sided question as Gintoki continued to observe the sleeping girl beside him.
Lots of things happened, and somehow, he could tell that Tsukuyo was exhausted from yesterday's events. Her breathing included small gasps and occasional heavy breathing, but all in all, she was having a nice sleep.
True, the girl was always grumpy and serious, but when it came down to it, she can express herself more freely – and looking at her now, her face flushed from the heat of the room, trails of sweat trickling down her face, her moist lips moving ever so slightly at her breathing… was it still the same violent woman who made him her personal punching bag upon a single sip of alcohol? Was it the same woman who wanted to be on equal terms with him? Was it the same woman who abandoned her femininity in order to protect Hinowa and Yoshiwara?
From his point of view, she looked like any vulnerable girl in her sleep.
He smiled.
She was…
"Sa.. Sakata-dono?"
That sudden call cut him from his thoughts as he looked around to see who the speaker was. He then found a young woman wearing quite a plain-looking yukata, sitting at the other end of the room, her hands holding a flashlight, her black orbs and black locks of shoulder-length hair illuminating in the dark.
From the looks of it, she was a member of the Hyakka.
"Who are you?" inquired Gintoki, his mind still hazy from the lack of daily sugar. "What are you doing in my room?"
"R-room? What are you talking about? You're—"
"Wait," he butted in, "I've never met you before, so how come you're here in my room? How did you get in here? And besides, how come this grumpy girl's on the bed with me? I've got enough of stalkers, oi!"
"Sakata-dono, you're completely mistaken, you're not in your room right now, you're in—"
"Don't tell me you've got the hots for me, too? Have I really become such a bachelor right now that I've got girls fawning over me?"
"Sakata-dono.. You're not in your room, and you're not in Yoshiwara either."
"What? You gonna say something?"
"I said that you're –"
"Wait, what? Come again? I think I've just heard it wrong. You said that I'm not in my room, right? That's impossible! I'm in my room," Gintoki trailed off, his hands now roaming across the floor. "See, here's even my JUMP collection, I knew I just left some before I went out."
His hands continued on searching the room despite the lack of decent light. He moved his hands on everything within his access, but to no avail. He gulped soundly as he realized the lack of JUMP within the area, as well as the fact that he was not in his room, but somewhere else.
He shrieked.
"Where am I? I mean, where are we? What the hell happened? Why am I with this woman? Why am I half-naked and covered in bandages? Why the hell is it so dark in here? OI, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"
The black-haired woman can only give an awkward laugh in response to their savior's eccentricity. Sure, she heard rumors about his bizarre and lazy life, but she could not put her finger on the fact that this was still the same man who saved Yoshiwara twice not so long ago.
"As what I've said earlier, Sakata-dono, you're not in your room, and you're not in Yoshiwara either. I don't know where we are exactly right now, since we're inside the enemy's truck."
"Truck? What are you talking about? There's no truck in here!"
"We're inside it, Sakata-dono. Please, calm down, you'll wake them up.."
"I know that! But what are you talking about?" asked Gintoki, whose right hand was now scratching his silver-permed hair. "What truck? What enemy? There's no such thing as – OOOOFFF!"
All color was drained out of him as he realized what exactly happened that it even made him flinch loudly. He looked down there, checking if his manhood was still intact—since due to experience, that was the one that takes all of the bad effects—but alas, it was, and at the same time, it wasn't.
It was grabbed by a vicious hand, his only joystick still on its firm grip, despite the presence of his clothing. Being a man, he knew how painful it was, and it was made even worse when that hand holding his joystickheld the grip tighter, as if to crush it, and pushed it down with full force, dragging his body along with it. It's as if his thing was an alarm clock that needed to be pushed down in order to stop its noise. And hell for alarm clocks, it seemed that the wielder of that damned hand had a grudge on it!
"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY *****?"
"Uhnnnn… damn alarm clock, it won't stop on ringing… I still wanna sleep.."
Gintoki looked down at the wielder of that damned hand – the hand which now had finally freed his thing from its vice grip—and was shocked to see that it was the blonde kunoichi, grumbling in her sleep about alarm clocks and whatnot.
Of all people.. why her? OH FOR THE LOVE OF STRAWBERRY MILK!
"Please do not be alarmed, Sakata-dono. Kashira was just used on waking up by an alarm clock, and because of that, she developed a deep hatred for it that whenever she hears it ring, she hits it with such full force," said the black-haired girl, which, in Gintoki's opinion, was really a member of the Hyakka, as proven by the fact that she had referred to Tsukuyo as kashira.
Still, that statement wasn't enough to convince him. It hurt like hell, damn it!
"Alarm clock? What about alarm clocks? Does my voice sound like a ring of an annoying bell to her? Does my ***** look like a pair of ringing bells to her?"
"Well, both had a pair."
"That's not it, dammit! I said that it's damn unnecessary! She didn't have to grab it as if she was crushing it! Does she really hate the ring of alarm clocks too much? That's playing too dirty!"
"We had to keep up with the same level of dirtiness as the original. Hence, this."
Gintoki was about to give his reply when he was surprised to see that he was struck by a kunai on his forehead. He turned around, finding a half-awake Tsukuyo, her hand brushing her eyes as she sat groggily.
"You're too loud, Gintoki. You haven't even given me some decent sleep," said Tsukuyo, who now sat upright, her hand fixing her hair which had been a mess from her sleep.
Gintoki removed her toy kunai from his forehead, and settled it at the ground. "Decent sleep? I say you've had too much sleep that you haven't even noticed how poor your alarm clock was! How many alarm clocks have you bullied in your lifetime, huh?"
"Alarm clocks? Well, I absolutely despise to hear it first thing in the morning, but I still use it from time to time, since I needed to get up early. Speaking of alarm clocks, I think I used one this morning.. but come to think of it, where are we, Gintoki? Weren't we unconscious back then?"
"Well, thanks to your hatred for alarm clocks, I think I may have gone back to my senses. But more importantly, don't you even remember what the friggin' thing you have done? You were about to crush my one and only joystick, you damn woman! "
Gintoki can only grumble in annoyance as he noticed that Tsukuyo did not even take heed of his comment.
"Kashira, I'm glad to see that you are awake now. Are you alright?" inquired the black-haired member of the Hyakka, the both of them ignoring Gintoki's cries of anguish about his beloved joystick.
"I'm okay," replied Tsukuyo, "more importantly, where are we now? I suspect that we are inside the enemy's truck, is that right?"
"Yes, we are. Kashira and Sakata-dono were both unconscious back then, and the two of you were brought inside here."
"I see. That makes sense. But, how come you're here? As far as I can remember, Gintoki and I had freed all the women inside the truck."
Gintoki, who now stopped on complaining about his abused screwdriver, had taken Tsukuyo's question with full attention. "Come to think of it, Tsukuyo's right," he then asked, "how come you're in here when I've freed all the women inside?"
The black-haired girl only smiled in response. "I am not someone suspicious, Sakata-dono. I am also a member of the Hyakka, and my name's Azumi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Savior-of-Yoshiwara-sama."
"There's no need for such a nickname, is there? And besides, it's pretty much a fact that we ganged up on Housen, I didn't defeat him alone," replied Gintoki, who had pretty much calmed down, compared to his situation earlier. The pain down there subsided too, he supposed.
He crossed his arms across his chest and sighed. "And besides, who are they?"
"I think I've already explained to you the facts, Gintoki. Don't you remember? I told you that before we even fought them," said Tsukuyo, her gaze now focused on him.
"Yeah, and all I've got were the women slave trade and the Sonnou-Joui faction. I didn't even know who was behind all of this."
"Well, that's what we're going to find out, Sakata-dono," replied Azumi, "and to answer your earlier question, I just saw you and Kashira fighting those Sonnou-Joui rebels. I was about to help when I saw the both of you being knocked out, so I just went inside the truck since I deduced that the two of you are going to be brought inside, the both of you need medical attention anyway, and besides, I think being captured is the best way to observe their actions."
Tsukuyo smirked at Azumi's words. "I thought the same too, that's why I was easily captured."
Gintoki can only gawk at Tsukuyo's remark. Easily captured? Weren't you beaten up and badly wounded back there?
"I thought so too, that's why I quickly went inside the truck."
"That's good to hear. And I'm sure you've thought the same way too, right, Gintoki?"
Silence filled the area. Gintoki can feel the tick of every second becoming heavier as it passed by since he just fell silent, not knowing how to answer.
But hey— really? I'm the only one who took that fight seriously? Well, not too seriously, but still… really? I'm the only one who didn't think of that? I…
"O-of course I did. It was too damn hard to act being defeated, damn it!"
No, I didn't! I was really overwhelmed by those electricity jolts! Damn it all!
"The problem we have now is— how can we escape here? I know that we needed to keep an eye on them, that's the reason why we got ourselves captured," stated Tsukuyo, her worry for their own safety clearly shown on her face. "But we shouldn't stay on enemy quarters for too long. Sooner or later, we need to get out of here."
"Wouldn't it be easy if we just knock out the driver and make him spit out all the details?"
"I think that would be impossible," replied Azumi, "I think the best option would be going out here right now. We are completely outnumbered by them, and they are armed. They don't even use katanas now."
"Well, they ain't samurai. But you've got a true samurai right here, don't worry."
"Except that what you're using is a friggin' bokuto," blurted Tsukuyo, "anyhow, I think that the best option we have is to wait until this truck stops on moving, since I think they'll take a stop on their quarters. Once they did, we're going to beat the hell out of them and scram."
Gintoki can only give Tsukuyo a cold look. "And do you actually think that would work? And how are we supposed to get out of here? Supposing that they'll really stop at their quarters, I bet they'll just keep us inside if they had plans of disposing us, or maybe, they'll bring us to their quarters and finish us off there. Either way, it ends up with us getting our necks severed."
"Sakata-dono's right. If we were to follow Kashira's suggestion, then we should have at least a feasible plan in order to escape from them unharmed."
"I.. uh—well, you're right about that. But, what can we possibly do?"
Gintoki's eyes scanned the surroundings despite the lack of decent light. He can't think of any plan at all, so he supposed that if he looked hard enough, then he might be able to find something that they can use in order to escape. Finding none, he was about to give up when his eyes caught on something.
It was a large, white bottle, with the characters for sake written on it. He smirked in delight.
"Well, we don't have to worry anymore," stated Gintoki, his grin still evident on his face. "I have a plan."
His statement caught both Tsukuyo and Azumi's attention. "What is it?" asked Tsukuyo, "what can your plan possibly be that it made you that confident?
Without much a second thought, Gintoki stood up and walked towards the bottle, grabbed it and placed it in front of them. "This," he then said, "is my trump card."
"H-hold on. Isn't that sake? What are you trying to do, Gintoki?"
Before Tsukuyo can even realize it, he then passed the bottle to her, much to her confusion. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Why are you giving this to me?"
"Drink this. All you need to do is to drink this and we're out."
"What? No way, the last thing I'll do during a mission is to get drunk. There's no way I'll ever do that."
Gintoki was about to respond when he felt the truck stop from moving. From his perspective, they were already on the enemy quarters, and sooner or later, they'll find them there, so it was the best time to start his plan— to unleash the hidden monster within.
"Just," he started, and grabbed the bottle of sake and forcedly chugged it on Tsukuyo's mouth, "drink this, you damn woman!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sakata-dono? K-Kashira's going to—"
"Shut up there, you!" wailed Gintoki, his hand still holding the bottle as a drunk Tsukuyo continued on chugging it without any hesitation. "You haven't seen anything yet! I choose you, Tsukuyo! Go for it!"
Gulp.. gulp.. gulp..
Hic… hic.. hic…
"K—Kashira!"
"G-Gintoki… you," said the blonde kunoichi, while she finally felt the liquor kick in, driving her into her drunken stupor. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"
Gintoki flinched at the girl's ferocity. He tried to slowly crawl away from her, but to no avail. As soon as she got hold of the bottle and tossed him aside, chugging the whole bottle in and leaving it without a single drop, she got on her knees and stood up, slowly approaching him while she made those hiccupping sounds, and stopped when she was just a few inches in front of him. She then grabbed his head, and stared at him face-to-face.
"You've got some guts there, huh, you permhead? Do you want a piece of me, huh? What? You want me?"
"O-oh, i-it's not like that, Tsukuyo-sama. I just thought that some sake would be perfect for you, since you're such a nice girl."
"Of course I'm a nice girl! And you're a jerk! Hey, why are you looking at me with those eyes, huh? What, you've got a crush on me now, huh?"
"I told you it's not like that, Tsukuyo-sama—"
"What? So you think I'm ugly? That no one would ever have a crush on me? That no one would treat me as a woman because I have these scars on my face?"
"This woman is so freakin' annoying when drunk! Aaaaah, if only we didn't get stuck in here, I won't ever let you touch another liquor again! And besides, why are you focusing on me? Haven't I told you that you're not ugly? So shut up, dammit!"
"Pfft… hahaha.. ahahahahaha.. hahahaha…"
Both Gintoki and Tsukuyo stopped on their tracks as they heard the irritating laughter coming from below. Their irritation increased in spades as they saw that it was no other than the other Hyakka member, Azumi.
"I—I can't take this anymore, hahahaha.. I.. I never thought that Kashira would be like this.. and the way she acts around Sakata-dono.. and Sakata-dono's reactions… it was.. really.. I just.. can't… hahahahaha!"
Azumi's laughter only irked the hell out of Gintoki that he even approached her and glared daggers at her. "Oi, oi. Why the hell are you laughing? Is there something funny? Is there something funny with me being your Kashira's punching bag, huh?"
"N-no, it's not like that.. I just thought that you kinda have that M-streak in you, you know?"
"Oi, oi. What M? I'm not an M! As far as I can remember, I am a complete S! A complete sadist, do you hear me? Hell, you can even ask my stalker if you want! Go and ask that masochistic Sacchan just how much of a sadist I can be!"
"But.. that beating is kinda self-inflicted, you know? If you haven't—"
"Oi, oi, Gintoki. You're replacing me with that woman? I thought you've said that I'm not ugly? Isn't that a proof that you're in love with me? Then, you're my fling, do you hear me? Don't mess with other women other than me!"
"Oi, oi, you drunken woman, I never said that I'm in love with you! Hey! I don't wanna be a fling either! Anyway, just stop this, dammit!"
Tsukuyo just ignored him as she proceeded on inching closer towards Azumi, her death glare ever-so-present. Gintoki tried to stop her from approaching the poor Hyakka member, but he was greeted by a hard punch on the face instead.
"And who the hell are you in Gintoki's life anyway? Don't you dare mess with me! Gintoki's mine!"
"No, I'm not owned by anybody!"
"Kashira, you're hugely mistaken, I wasn't—"
"That's enough, you damn woman!" Gintoki then retorted, as he quickly went in front of Azumi when he noticed that Tsukuyo was about to punch him, "I only have my eyes reserved for the weather girl, Ketsuno A—"
He was unable to continue his ranting as Tsukuyo gave her megaton punch. Luckily, he and Azumi dodged it, leaving the poor truck wall on its destruction. Gintoki smirked in delight.
"I told you we'll be able to get out of here," he said, giving Azumi his troll face.
"Is.. is this person still our Kashira?"
CRASH!
As the remnants of the truck's wall lay lifelessly on the ground, Gintoki and Azumi hurriedly went out of the truck, with a drunken Tsukuyo quickly chasing them behind. As soon as they reached the ground, they took in their surroundings and observed, minus Tsukuyo who was still in her drunken stupor.
A small house was in sight, which, from the looks of it, was the faction's main house on that area. That fact only strengthened their belief that they really are at their quarters.
The loud sound coming from the truck took the attention of the grunt Joui and though Gintoki and the others were pretty much left by themselves when they went out, Sonnou-Joui members quickly went out one after another, surrounding them. Just like the other group back in Yoshiwara, the grunts were armed with guns and stun belts.
And to top it off, the number of Joui surrounding them was twice as much as their fight earlier. Surely, they were at a disadvantage. But…
Hic… Hic.. Hic..
A drunk, blonde woman with some booze on one hand was quickly irritated by the sudden increase of people in the area. Behind her stood a silver-haired young man and a young girl with shoulder-length hair, cheering the drunken woman as she looked at the Joui rebels in disgust.
"You bastards," the drunken courtesan then said, "are you making fun of me, huh?"
"Oh, we're not, neechan. How about you? You're so drunk, neechan. Want me to pour a glass of sake for you?"
"Aaah? You want a piece of me? Hate to break it to you, but I'm owned by that niichan over there," replied Tsukuyo, as she pointed out to Gintoki with her finger. "If you want a piece of me, go and defeat him first. And be sure to bring me his skin, okay?"
"Why the hell are you bringing me up, you damn woman? And why are you going to peel off my skin, huh?"
"Shut up, you permboy! Anyway, back to business," she replied as she then faced the Joui members, "I am really irked by your ugly faces, you damn bastards. If you'll allow me…"
Before they knew it, the rebels were defeated all at once as Tsukuyo unleashed hundreds of kunai like a madman, with Gintoki and Azumi dodging it as they also fought against them. The silver-haired samurai then slashed his way out using his Touya-ko, and the remaining Hyakka member used her prowess as a well-trained shinobi on defeating the rebels. However, they were overshadowed by the drunken kunoichi as she went on wreaking havoc upon the quarters.
The grunts were no match to the Courtesan of Death when she is in killer mode.
XOXOX
The ticking of the clock seemed to move slowly as Shinpachi moved his eyes left and right, alert for the sight of the silver-haired samurai or the blonde courtesan. He sighed in frustration for the umpteenth time that day; there was still no sign of them coming back.
It was just a few hours – and for them to disappear like that, it's really impossible. Though Gin-san may just go anywhere he pleased, he just wouldn't disappear like that. He would tell them his whereabouts, he's sure of that. But now, for him to disappear like that, and with Tsukuyo-san too… what could've happened to them last night?
True, maybe he and Kagura-chan were partly at fault, since they left them on their own devices last night. But… he never thought that it would escalate into this— he never thought that they would actually disappear without a trace. It was already late in the afternoon, and they still haven't known where they have gone to. They've asked every stall and establishment in Yoshiwara, they've asked all the people who could possibly see them, but to no avail. Even the pachinko parlors said that he didn't go there either.
Though there have been rumors that there have been a brawl that happened last night at an uninhabited area in Yoshiwara, he still wasn't sure about its authenticity, so even though they immediately rushed to the site upon hearing the rumor, they still had doubts about it. Gin-san and Tsukuyo-san were not the types to engage on petty brawls, he was sure of that. However, things would be different if that was a different issue..
"Shinpachi, we're coming in," said Kagura-chan, whose anxiety about Gin-san's disappearance clearly visible in her demeanor. She was accompanied by Hinowa-san and Seita-kun, both of them looking very tired as they've searched the whole place looking for Gin-san and Tsukuyo-san.
"Shinpachi... has Gin-chan arrived yet?"
He can only smile weakly as a way of consoling her. "There's no sign of them arriving yet, Kagura-chan. Though don't worry, since it's Gin-san after all… he would be fine."
Still, even though I may say that… I just can't help but worry about them.
"But Shinpachi, Gin-chan was.. Gin-chan and Tsukky— they were—"
"W-what is it, Kagura-chan? W-what about Gin-san and Tsukuyo-san? What happened?"
"I heard from one of the Hyakka that both Tsukuyo and Gin-san were defeated by some unknown faction last night," said Hinowa as she faced Shinpachi with a serious look in her eyes. "They were heavily injured, and apparently, they were abducted to some unknown place… they're in danger, Shinpachi-kun."
Gin-san and Tsukuyo-san… defeated? T-that's… that's impossible!
"H-how can that happen? How can they be abducted..? The idea.. is just.. absurd…"
"Kaachan, will Gin-san and Tsukuyo-nee gonna be alright?" asked Seita, whose hand was still clutching Hinowa's wheelchair tightly. "They'll gonna be fine, right?"
"They'll be fine, Seita. Gin-san's with her. Let's believe in the one who had saved Yoshiwara – in the one who had saved us."
XOXOX
"Sakata-dono, how's Kashira? Is she awake now?"
Gintoki can only heave a deep sigh as he continued on trudging his way across the woods, with an unconscious Tsukuyo on his back. "She's still asleep," he then replied, "Never mind that, are you sure we've gotten away from them? From the looks of it, we're still on their quarters."
The other Hyakka member can only continue on running, recklessly finding her way out of what she supposed was still a parcel of land owned by the faction. "Maybe you're right. However, we still can't be sure of that. And besides, we're quite far from the main house, so we can only go on moving forward."
"Well, if you say so."
Only their footsteps resounded as they continued on running away from the quarters, with Gintoki making his way out with wide, heavy steps, as the sleeping courtesan on his back shifted her weight on his back. He was carrying her on a piggyback, and he didn't seem to mind the increased weight on his shoulders as the only thing that occupied his thoughts was on how they could escape from there, and make it back to Yoshiwara.
The fight earlier seemed to be in their favor, with most of the rebels being wiped out by a drunken Tsukuyo. Their numbers decreased in spades, and from the looks of it, one could conclude that they have beaten all the enemies in the area. However, the tables were turned upside down as backups from the main house arrived one after another, and to make matters worse, Tsukuyo passed out, leaving Gintoki and Azumi on their own devices. Seeing that fighting them would only waste their time, they quickly ran away to the woods, with the freelancer carrying the passed out kunoichi on his back.
"Nnnn… uhnnn…nnnnnnnn…"
The sounds made by the sleeping blonde woman just seemed to ring on Gintoki's ears as he continued on running. She moved a bit and tightened her hold on him, but he didn't seem to mind as he just let her sleep peacefully. After a few minutes, the girl finally went back to her senses, and was surprised to find herself being carried by the silver-haired samurai.
"G-Gin..toki?"
The man in question then noticed that Tsukuyo had finally woken up. However, he still kept on running, not even loosening his hold on her. "So, you're finally awake, huh? Got a hangover?"
"I.. I guess," she then replied. Still surprised at the situation, she tried to process what was happening until she finally realized that she was really being carried by Gintoki. "H-hey, l-let me down, I can manage by myself," she embarrassedly said. "You don't need to carry me."
"But it's faster like this, isn't it? What, you don't like it?"
Her cheeks were tinged red from his words. "Eh? I-it's not like that, you idiot! Put me down!"
Seeing that the girl would only continue on pestering him if he did not comply with her wishes, he stopped for a while. Tsukuyo then came down, her hand quickly finding its way on her head as she felt the dizziness rush through as soon as her feet came into contact with the ground.
Seeing the commotion behind her, Azumi finally looked back, and found a conscious Tsukuyo.
"Kashira! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," replied the girl, her body adjusting itself from her hangover. "Just.. go on. I'll join you afterwards."
Gintoki can only look at Tsukuyo at the corner of his eye. "Oi, oi. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"You're still dizzy. I don't mind carrying you— it's much faster that way."
"I said I'm alright! Just keep on going!"
Both Gintoki and Azumi were proven wrong as Tsukuyo really managed to get a hold of herself, quickly catching up to them on their tracks. With that, they have come into a conclusion that she can get over her drunkenness as fast as she can get drunk with a single sip of alcohol.
The three of them only continued on running, until they caught the sight of a man with flowing, shoulder-length auburn hair. The man sat on one of the trees, as if he was relishing the sight that Mother Nature has given him. Gintoki, Tsukuyo and Azumi can only stop on their tracks upon seeing that man.
This was the Sonnou-Joui faction's quarters, and even though they were already far from the main house, it is still quite surprising to find someone frolicking in the woods. They wondered about the man's identity, or if he was a faction member as well. If he was, then they're in big trouble.
However, nostalgia was the one that rushed through Gintoki upon seeing that man. He could not put his finger on it, but he was sure that seeing him from a certain distance made him feel as if it was not his first time meeting him, that he had seen him before, and that he had known him for a very long time.
He felt his heart beat faster on his chest. Sweat trickled down his face. That man…
That man… was very much like his sensei.
"Who are you?" the man then asked, prompting the other three to inch closer to him.
Gintoki looked at his two other companions. They seemed wary of him, and at the same time, quite indifferent. As the distance between them got shorter, Gintoki then managed to sneak a peek at the man.
He observed him at the corner of his eye. Upon a closer inspection, though he may look a little like his sensei, he was nothing like him at all – those dark eyes, that haggard face – he looked and felt so little like him, it made his earlier thoughts seem like a cruel joke. However, much to his dismay, the feeling of nostalgia that he had once felt was suddenly replaced by an ominous feeling – it's as if there was something in that man that he did not really like. Upon hearing that man's voice, he was certain – there was something about that man that he ought not to know.
"We're just travelers who got lost in these woods," said Gintoki as indifferent as he could manage, as he tried to convince himself not to get too distracted by the ominous feeling induced by that certain man. "We don't know how we got here, you see."
"I see. It appears that you don't even know your way around here."
"Uh, Ojisan, can you tell us if the next village is near, and what path should we take in order to get there? We've been around here for hours you see, and we're looking for a place that we can stay," said Azumi, her hands finding its way on her waist.
Tsukuyo, now completely sober, walked forward and approached the lone man. "Sorry to impose on you, but we're completely desperate. We're quite exhausted from our trip," she then said. "Is there an inn for guests around here somewhere?"
Gintoki could only feel his blood rush through his veins as he saw that the man, upon seeing Tsukuyo, was certainly surprised at the sight of her, and he seemed to look at her from head to toe. He can only stare at her that he even fell on a short pause. It was akin to a man seeing his sworn enemy commit a heinous crime, albeit differently. The way he stared at her, the look in his eyes, his damned expression – all of which seemed to depict that the way he looked at her was certainly different from what he had bestowed them.
This act disgusted Gintoki. His ominous aura was one thing, but leering on one of his friends was another issue. And it certainly was not leering – it felt like it was something else completely.
The man only smiled in return. "There is. Well, follow me."
The three of them can only follow the man as he walked across the woods, trudging a path not similar to the one they've gone onto earlier. Gintoki sighed in exasperation. He still had doubts about that man, especially since a combination of his sensei and an ominous aura did not do well for him. Still, even though he cannot help but be confused at his gut feeling, he supposed that it was a better choice to follow him than do nothing. Maybe he was just overreacting, after all.
With the two Hyakka in front of him, he continued on following the said man as they crossed the path to what the man has said was a small hut. That man explained that the hut was built in order to accommodate travelling guests, and that it was not much farther than there. Much to their surprise, the man even managed to invite them on staying the night there. Seeing no other options, the three of them agreed.
Their walk to the small hut was put into a halt as the said hut was already in sight. The man then faced the other three, and grabbed a set of keys from his hakama.
"Here are the keys," the man said with a grin, "be sure to take good care of the house while I'm gone. By the way, I'm the caretaker of the house, but unfortunately, I need to go to the next village to restock and hence, I need to leave these to you. Can I ask you for that favor?"
"B-but wait, we're only here up until morning," replied Gintoki, "and besides, this is an inn, right? How much would we pay?"
"Normally, I would charge you for staying there, but since I asked a favor from you guys, then the night would be free. I would be back by the morning, don't worry."
Hearing the words "free" made his heart leap in joy. Surely, things that are free are not to be missed – that was one of his mottos. Forget about suspecting him, that man was letting them stay for free!
His two other companions, on the other hand, thanked the man for his kind offer. He then moved away from them, passing through Azumi first, and then, through Tsukuyo. Gintoki, being the last one among the line formed by the three of them, saw the same look which he had given earlier to the blonde girl. He had given one of those yet again to her, as he passed onto her the keys for the hut.
As he walked past Tsukuyo, he then muttered words which can only make her shudder in response.
"You seem to have gone prettier, Misora."
『つづく』
First things first! Sorry for the OC's, but it's inevitable. I've tried my best to make them blend in the Gintama world, however. And besides, I'll try to let every single main, supporting, side character in Gintama appear, even if it's just once. Please keep on supporting this story!
The GinTsu fluff you've been waiting for would be on the middle chapters onwards. This would just be the "building up of the main conflict." Hey, you'll never know, Gintoki and Tsukky might become closer next chapter!
And special greetings to Rhaide and Souichirou-chan! :P