A/N: Chapter 2, comin' at ya like Kirby. Sorry for the slow update already. Motivation to do anything is hard to come by when you're me.
The gray skies did nothing to dampen Gin's mood as he walked down the familiar roads of the Kabuki district. He wholeheartedly loved his town, and there were few things he would readily admit to loving. Strawberry milk? Absolutely. A long nap? Definitely. Kagura and Shinpachi? Sure, but you wouldn't hear him admit it aloud very often.
But today, he had a special reason to be in a good mood. He allowed his mouth a small smile, and the attentive passerby might even see some life in his dead-fish eyes.
At his side, Tae Shimura walked closely with her new boyfriend in public for the first time.
The brunette peered up at Gin as the man smirked at a passing shop.
Is this weird? I've never done this sort of thing before. Is he comfortable? Why does he look like that? She wondered silently.
She followed his gaze as his vision wandered over the sights of the street.
What could he be looking at with such an expression?
There were a few people carrying goods, a small squad of children chasing each other with sticks, and a fairly attractive woman bending over to water her plants.
Wait.
Tae turned and fixed Gin with a cold gaze.
The man looked down at her with the same relaxed smile, and her anger fizzled as quickly as it came. She hadn't been with him long, but he was one of the most loyal people she had ever met. Feeling slightly guilty, she decided on the usual direct approach.
"Gin-san, it's rare to see you in such a good mood. What's on your mind?"
"Gin-san?" he repeated. "Otae, we're together now. You can't refer to me so formally," he chided lightly.
She blushed a little, still not fully adapted to the new change.
"And, really, I guess I'm just relaxed."
Tae looked away, and began to feel the same way. They've walked down these roads together many times over the years, for many different reasons. She smiled, thinking of how long they'd known each other, and how far they'd come.
Without really thinking, she took a bold action, and grabbed the free hand that wasn't tucked into his kimono, nestling her fingers in between his.
His eyes widened as she did so, but said nothing after seeing the earnest smile blooming on her face.
Hardened samurai Sakata Gintoki blushed like a school kid with a crush as he walked hand-in-hand with his girlfriend down the road.
From nearby, old man Gengai whistled approvingly, making Gin's face burn even hotter.
The old Shimura dojo came into view shortly after.
Gin couldn't say that he had an affinity for architecture. With the exception of Snack Otose and a few others, every building in Edo might as well be the same.
The Shimura dojo was one of those exceptions. The peeling paint of the old walls, weathered from white to gray, were a testament to its age (as well as its lack of funding). The old wood columns and floorboards were well worn with signs of water damage. Much of the external décor was in a state of neglect as well. Gin felt a pang of sadness for the place. It wasn't much like Shoyo-sensei's dojo, but the presence of its occupants made it special.
He looked down as they crossed the gravel yard. The sound of a second pair of footsteps alongside his was new and unfamiliar, but he figured it was something he would get used to.
The objective of their visit was a rare one. Tae wanted to practice the sword to further the family goal of restoring the dojo. Gin had already grumbled about how unsuitable he was as a teacher, having developed his own personal sword style on his own, but figured that supporting your girlfriend's endeavors was one of the top priorities as a boyfriend.
And truthfully, he had never really seen Tae's swordplay up close. He knew she was skilled with a naginata, but the Tendo Mushin Ryuu was katana-based, and he was curious as to how far along her skills had developed compared to Shinpachi.
The duo was greeted at the door by Shinpachi himself, whose sweaty appearance suggested he was already training.
"Welcome home, Aneue!" he smiled, pointedly ignoring Gin.
She smiled and walked in when the hand holding Gin's became snagged on something. She looked back to see her younger brother clutching Gin's wrist with a glare in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing to my Aneue? Holding her hand here in this sacred dojo is forbidden!"
Gin looked down at his wrist and mentally flipped a coin. Heads, he would troll Shinpachi as his new de-facto younger brother. Tails, he would be the respectful guest that he knew Tae would want him to be.
As his eyes met the pair of glasses, he knew his next move immediately.
He grinned sadistically, hovering over the girl like a villain. "Take it easy Shin-chan. This is something you're going to have to get used to since Otae-chan is my g-i-r-l-f-r-"
The joke was brutally cut short as he felt the familiar impact of the wind being knocked out of him. Tae's small fist twisted into his diaphragm.
"My my, Gintoki. That walk seemed to take a lot out of you. Here, let me take you somewhere to rest." Tae hefted the barely conscious man over her shoulder like a sack of rice and brought him inside.
Shinpachi on the other hand, looked smug and victorious. "I knew you wouldn't let him do what he pleased. I still think you're too good for-"
"Shin-chan," Tae turned around after dropping the man on a tatami mat. She wore her usual mysterious smile, but Shinpachi could detect her predator aura flaring up. "Gin is my boyfriend now. You're going to have to accept this sooner rather than later, including the fact that we will be holding hands wherever we feel like. Unless…"
Shinpachi quickly rose to his toes as he felt two fingers ram themselves into his nostrils. "Unless you'd like to become reacquainted with our family's deadliest technique… The hook nose destroyer!"
Her face never lost its friendliness. Shinpachi knew she was serious. Could he really back down from this though?
He wiggled free indignantly, looking uncomfortable for a myriad of reasons.
"Patsuan~ Does it really bother you to have me around here like this?" Gin asked, only semi-serious.
"Yes! Well… No, but- Gah!" He shook his head filled with conflicting thoughts. He averted his eyes from his silver-haired boss. "I guess I'm still coming to terms with it."
A white sleeved arm came around his neck in a headlock. "Don't worry Patsuan! Just pretend nothing changed! Now c'mere. Your beloved sister wants to spar!"
"Eh?!" Shinpachi looked to her. Tae nodded to him, resolve in her eyes and shinai already in hand.
"Aneue? You and I haven't sparred in years. Why now?"
And it was true. For all the administrative and maintenance work Tae does for the dojo, she rarely trained on her own, and even more rarely led the usual classes of the homeless. Shinpachi didn't want to say it out loud, but she probably couldn't hold a candle to him in terms of swordsmanship.
"It's been many years, and our dojo still hasn't be truly restored. I know it's a burden you've taken on… and I'm proud of you for keeping the Tendo Mushin Ryuu alive, but," Tae tossed a shinai to her brother, who deftly caught it. "I'm also a child of our father, Ken Shimura. And I want to do my part too!"
A faint clapping was heard from their guest, which greatly diminished the drama of the moment.
Shinpachi looked at the shinai grasped in his hand, clutching it with a hand callused from years of practice. He had come a long way, but could he really spar with his sister seriously?
"How 'bout this, Shin-chan. If you beat me, Gin-san and I will tone down the PDA around you."
Instantly, a fire was in his eyes.
"I won't go easy on you Aneue," he said, taking a kamae stance.
"I don't expect you to, Shin-chan."
Gintoki, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically focused on the upcoming fight. Truthfully, he could go either way on the stakes, but a fight between the sister-lover and his new girlfriend is probably something he won't get to see often.
Tae raised her shinai into a ready stance as well.
"Gin-san, could you give us the signal?"
He grunted, laying comfortably against the wall. "Just Gin, Otae-chan."
She blushed but returned her focus to her brother.
"Yeah, yeah. Ready?"
The pair tensed.
"Start!"
Shinpachi took a defensive posture, unsure of what his sister would do. She never had definitive swordplay habits before, so he had no idea what to expect.
Almost faster than he could react to, a powerful overhead swing brought his sister's weapon rushing past his head.
If I hadn't sidestepped that, my head would've been split like a summer melon!
She followed up with a horizontal blow that Shinpachi parried immediately, but before he could counter, she stepped out of range.
She's strong. Her speed comes purely from her strength. But when it comes to technique-!
He stepped and directed her weapon away from her, opening her guard. Shinpachi lunged in with a powerful thrust aimed at the center of her chest, but she twirled away in a manner he's seen used with her naginata. Unlike last time, however, she did not add distance. Her deep brown eyes locked onto his, and she inhaled, betraying her intentions. Her shinai came fast towards his head, but he blocked vertically, sweeping down for a lightning fast counter fundamental to the Tendo Mushin Ryuu style.
Tae uncharacteristically "Eeped!" as she anticipated a blow to her shoulder, but Shinpachi held the blade inches away from it.
It was a quick fight typical of dojo spars, but Shinpachi had taken the victory.
Shinpachi almost didn't want to look at his sister. He didn't want to see sadness or disappointment in her eyes.
But when he did, he saw Tae smiling earnestly, beaming with pride. "You've gotten so strong Shin-chan. Father would be proud of you."
He looked to Gin, and saw the man sitting up to join them, nodding with what could be called "fatherly-approval."
"Good job, Patsuan."
The bespectacled young man didn't know why, but he was feeling emotional hearing praise from the two people he respected the most. He wouldn't cry though. He was past that. He turned away quickly to blink away some dust that got into his eyes.
"You too, Otae-chan," Gin said earnestly.
He reached out to her, like he wanted to do… something. Ruffle her hair? Touch her cheek? Hold her hand? Kiss her forehead? Honestly, he didn't know what to do in this situation. His lack of boyfriend experience was apparent.
Tae noticed his confusion and simply stepped close to him with a grin.
"O-oi! What were the stakes of the duel? No PDA!" Shinpachi huffed at them.
Tae stepped away a bit, frowning, while Gin leveled a dead-eyed look at the protesting brother.
Shinpachi suddenly felt sheepish. Looking away, he swallowed his pride.
"Well… S-since you two are d-dating now, some PDA is okay… I guess. But no groping or anything like that!" he pointed accusingly at the silver samurai.
"Huh? What's there to gro-"
An elbow rammed into the center of his chest, completely winding him.
"Want to go another round, Shin-chan?" Tae said stepping away from the fresh body on the ground.
"U-uh. Yeah. Let's do it!"