Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Gintama
Note:I realise I am really lousy at coming up with titles for both the story and the chapters. Guess I really overestimated myself for trying to name my chapters like how Gintama name their episode. FanFriction have this length limit on chapters' names. Continuing on, I know my story have little humor, a large gap from Gintama's original story. I am working on it, so if you have any ideas, please don't be shy and let me know. Thanks!
Gintoki sat on his chair, counting the income for this month. Ever since Shachi's manga made its debut, and Manju is working in the shelter, Yorozuya id earning more then they were in the past. Setting aside some to pay Shinpachi's and Kagura's salary, he still have some for rental and his pachinko.
Kagura had no problem taking her pay, but Shinpachi just felt guilty and a little reluctant. To make up to Manju, Shinpachi insisted on take all the housework when Manju had wanted to do some of it.
Having Manju made Gintoki's life so much easier, but she is working way too hard.
"Souda...Gin-san, Kagura-chan, yesterday Manju came and talk to me. She want to learn kenjitsu." Shinpachi said as he mopped the floor.
"Learning how to use a sword?" Gintoki asked.
"Yes. She asked if she can use my dojo and have me teach her." Shinpachi replied. "I am just curious, what is with her sudden decision to learn dojo ken."
"Why not? It is time Manju learn to defend herself aru." Kagura said. "We cannot baby sit her all the time."
"Baby sit? More like she is baby sitting you everyday when she come back Kagura." Gintoki commented. "Asking her to dry your hair, asking her to chat with you, asking her to buy you things. Who is babying who?"
"Gin-chan you always call her to buy you strawberry milk and JUMP too!" Kagura said unhappily.
"The two of you are just really thick skin." Shinpachi sighed and shook his head.
"Yes yes...you have the softest baby skin." Gintoki stood up and went to Otose Snacks.
"It is about time you come with my rent." Otose narrowed her eyes at him and counted the money. "Oi perm head. This is only enough for two months. You still own me three more months."
"Five months? Oi oi...since when did I own you that much?" Gintoki asked with a flat face. "Did you get Alzheimer already?"
"Who the hell has Alzheimer you white hair geez!" Otose yelled at him. "Have you forgotten when is the last time you pay the rent?!"
"You always come after me when I did not pay for just three months." Gintoki started thinking. Manju had only taken 2 times of salary, that mean two months have pass. Before that, he paid..."Don't blame me when you did not remind me about the rent. I tend to be forgetful sometimes ever since I hit my head and lost my memories once."
"Very well...I will make you lose your memories again!" Otose tried to hit him with a broom, to which he ducked it easily. "Do not tell me I never warn you Gintoki. I am going to pawn the necklace tomorrow if I do not see my rent. Or is it that since it is not yours, you don't care about it?"
"What necklace?" Gintoki poured more beer and drank it.
"Who is the one with Alzheimer?" Otose took out the necklace from her drawer and put it on the table.
"That necklace? Isn't that Manju's?" Gintoki put down his beer and picked the necklace up. "Why did you have it?"
"What? Did your brat not tell you? It is the mortgage for your rent." Otose took it back, eyeing him. "I told her to tell you to pay me back before I return this."
"No. She did not tell me anything." Gintoki rested his elbow on the table, and his cheek on his palm.
"Manju is really kind to you and Kagura. She did not see how worried she was when she heard me saying I was going to throw you out." Otose had good impression of that girl. "She is hard working too. Demo...Gintoki, don't you think she is working too hard?" Otose looked at him again. "It cannot be help if she feel depress because of her lost of memories. Gintoki, did you even try finding out about her?"
Gintoki do not need people telling him that. Regarding her identity, he had been poking around and even asked Okita Sogo, first Captain of Shinsengumi to check her data. However, nothing turned up. It is like, she just popped out suddenly, out of nowhere.
Throwing out an envelope of cash that is meant for his pachinko and parfait on the table, Gintoki took the necklace back from Otose and headed for the animal shelter.
Manju is cutting nails for some of the cats. She had learnt a lot about dogs, cats and rabbits. Those are the main animals here.
"Manju, clean Humpy when you are done with the cats." Keisuke called from inside the rabbits. He had been grooming them since after lunch. The sun is going to set soon.
"Ok." Manju replied and moved onto the last cat. Grumpy hissed at her, much to Manju's amusement. The cat is always gloomy, but she never attack anyone. In fact, she is Humpy's best friend. The cat and dog are together most of the time. Manju cleaned up all stray nails and went out to the shower area. Humpy was already seated there waiting. He is a very friendly dog who made work really easy for everyone. Manju bathed him with his favourite shampoo and dried him thoroughly, enjoying how cute his every moment are. That coat of thick golden fur is so silky!
"Gintoki? What are you doing here?" Katsura, who arrived outside the shelter noticed the silver-headed samurai and called out to him.
"Zura. What are you doing here?" Gintoki was about to enter the shelter, stopped and turned to look him.
"Zura jianai, Katsura da. Here to visit those fur balls." Katsura walked over with Elizabeth.
"Ah...Yorozuya-san and Katsura-san." Fujiko was on her way out to buy dinner for her family. Today had been extremely busy and she did not have time to cook. "Welcome welcome. Yorozuya-san, if you are looking for Manju, she is in the shower area." Fujiko smiled and said. "Katsura-san, the dogs are having their dinner in the dinning room."
"O! Feeding time. I want to feed them!" Katsura's eyes shone and went in immediately. Gintoki was however, stopped by Fujiko.
"Yorozuya-san, tomorrow is Manju's off day. Please make sure she do not come to work." Fujiko said.
"Off day. You guys give off day too?" Gintoki asked. He was not informed about it.
"Hum? You did not know? It is a new law that was in place two months ago. Labour workers are entitled a day every week for rest, besides annual leaves." Fujiko clarified. "If by any reason labour workers work on their off day, they will be paid OT by hours."
"I see. " Now that she said it, Gintoki did noticed that there are a few times Manju came back later then usual. It is to clock in more OT. "I will make sure she does not come tomorrow."
"I am thankful for that." Fujiko nodded and left. "Manju never take leaves and off days. I am worried she might be overworked." Those words got softer as the old lady walks further down towards the streets. Gintoki scratched his head and went in, seeing how she is scrubbing bubbles on a black dog. Both of them seemed to be having fun with Manju laughing and the dog relaxing with a bliss look.
"Manju, I told you not to spend too much time bathing them. They will catch a cold." Keisuke, took some towels and appeared from another door.
"He is enjoying it." Manju started rinsing the black dog called Kurokishi.
"You are spoiling them too much. We still need to train them how to deal with separation anxiety." Keisuke took over the drying and passed Manju a towel.
"It is so hard not to when they are so cute." Manju chuckled.
"You are an animal softie." Keisuke smiled and looked at her. Even her hair is wet. "Dry yourself and you can go back for today." He turned back to Kurokishi and said.
"Okay." Manju nodded and stood up.
"Souda Manju, this is for you." Keisuke took out a small paper back from the pocket protected by his apron and gave it to her. "It is Christmas soon."
"Ah...But you don't really have to give me anything. It is already nice of you to hire me and teach about animals." Manju tried to reject it.
"That is that. We really need people and you are good in your work. This is this. Friends exchange presents during Christmas. Unless I am not your friend." He smiled and said.
"Then you have no excuse when I give you one." Manju accepted it and thank him.
"And, I had been wanting to ask you, are your free? On New Year eve?" Keisuke hesitated a little, but asked anyway. He had wanted to ask her out on Chirstmas Eve, but he heard that the Yorozuya are having a countdown party at Otose Snacks.
"I don't really have an-"
"Her schedule is full. "Gintoki interrupted and took the present from her. "We need to help out at Baba's. There is a New Year Countdown Party." He looked down at the other man with his dead pan expression.
"Gintoki? What are you doing here?" Manju blinked and looked at him.
"To collect an idiot." Gintoki hit her head and said. "Jia, since our daughter is off work, I will be taking her back." Gintoki literally pulled her with him.
"Ahh... See you tomorrow, Keisuke." Manju did a hasty farewell.
"Tomorrow is your off day. You are not coming." Gintoki corrected.
"I can still come since I am free." Manju protested.
"You are not free tomorrow. We have plans." Once they reached outside, Gintoki released her and opened her present. It might be rude to many, but Manju did not mind. Sealing it back, he gave it back to her and started walking. Manju followed him as she looked into the back.
"O! Kapibarasan hairpin!" She cheered happily.
"Tch...trying to win the girl's heart." Gintoki muttered.
"Gintoki! How do I look?" Manju got in front of him and beamed. She already had her fridge pinned up.
"Childish." Gintoki messed up her hair.
"Mou...why did you do that?" She removed the clip and straightened her hair. "Then? What do you want to talk to me about? Coming to get me like that." Manju resumed walking beside him and asked.
Gintoki dangled her necklace in front of her and hit her head again. "Mortgaging something so important, what are you thinking? Baba has always been noisy about rentals, but she never once really throw me out. You do not have to worry about things like that."
"But she said it really seriously." Manju protested. "Plus, it is not nice to own people money. I know Yorozuya is not getting enough jobs to pay rental, so I want to help." Manju looked at him and said.
"I have many plans for you to help with, and that does not include paying rents." Gintoki hit her harder this time and gave her back her necklace. "At least tell me you used your necklace. Working OT behind our back like that, does not that put me in bad light? People are going to say I am working my new employee to the bones."
"I still have meat on me." Manju smiled and rubbed her head.
"What? Are you going to wait until you are left with bones?" Gintoki felt his brown twitched.
"I am eating well. There is no way I will be that thin." Manju chuckled.
"That mouth of yours really have way with words." Gintoki scratched his head. "Whatever it is, you just go to work on your work day, eat when you want to, sleep when you want to. You don't have to worry about the rest. Gin-san had been living without you all this while. He will not die when you do not pay his rent."
"Soudana..." Manju lowered her head and smiled bitterly. Somehow, she felt really sad when he said that.
"Na...Why are you crying this time?" Gintoki was shocked when she started drying her tears.
"Nothing." She laughed and looked at him. "Just menopause."
"Menopause? That is a lousy joke." He felt a little helpless when she forced her smile like that.
"Lets head back. Shinpachi and Kagura must be hungry." Manju shook her head and walked a little faster.
"O...oi..." Gintoki wanted to get her to speak the truth, but he was stopped by Katsura. "Nada Zura?" He frowned at him and asked.
"Gintoki, you know that girl."
Hearing that voice, Manju turned immediately and saw that it was indeed the man. She felt her finger twitched and the air grew heavy. "Gintoki..." She grabbed his sleeve unwittingly. "You know him?"
"Ahh... Terrorist." Gintoki looked at her, then back at Katsura. "What? You two know each other too?"
"We talked a little." Katsura did not understand why was she so afraid of him.
"Chuto...Katsura-san!" three men from the Joi came running, looking for their leader.
Hearing that man's voice, Manju rub her left collar bone unwittingly and swallowed a hard lump that got stuck at the back of her throat. She edged behind Gintoki and tried to made herself small.
Gintoki is here. There is nothing to be afraid of.
That is how Manju reminded herself.
Noticing her silent panic attack, Gintoki looked to those men and recognised them immediately. "Oi Zura, those men are your Joi men?" Gintoki looked at them asked. When the 3 of them saw him, they went pale and shaking all over.
"Yes. They just joined and are pretty hardworking." Katsura said. "It is rare of you to be concern about the Joi. Finally decided to join us?"
"I am not. I just want to remind you to take note what kind of person you are mixing with." Gintoki put his hand on Manju's back and uged her to leave with him.
"What do you mean? Oi! Gintoki!" Katsura tried to call him back, but Gintoki ignored him. He is more worried about Manju. He underestimate the trauma she felt from that incident.
"Gintoki, are we not heading back?" Realising that they are not going back to Yorozuya, Manju asked. "Shinpachi and Kagura are still waiting for us."
"Let them wait. They had been lecturing me the whole day. I need a break." Gintoki sat down on the bench facing the playground and said. "You need to take a break from those two big babies too."
"Big babies? Kagura might be one, but Shinpachi is quite mature." Manju smiled. She watched the kids playing in the sand pit and wondered just why is that fun? Did she play in the sand pit when she was young?
The winter wind is still chilling, but because she is dressed enough this time, she welcome the coolness. As the sky turned black, countless stars made their appearance, accompanying the lonely moon. The silences between them was not really awkward, in fact, they were able to relax and enjoy the peace for a bit.
"Zura is an idiot and an airhead." Gintoki broke the silence after the sky turned completely dark. "He did not know that those guys are perverts, and I can assure you he is not the kind to let his men rampage like that." Looking at her sideways, he found it a bit difficult to comfort her. Especially when Manju reacted with nothing more then tightened fists. Signing, Gintoki put his hand on her head, looking at the empty playground. "There is nothing to be afraid of. Until you master your kenjitsu, we will protect you."
Manju turned a little to look at him upon hearing that. It is rare for Gintoki to say things like that. Manju smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I will improve myself too, to not be such a scary cat." She then got off the bench and stretched her back. "Come on. I am hungry already."
"I am more hungry then you. I did not even have my parfait yet." Gintoki stood up too and stretched.
"Gintoki, you are suppose to mind your sugar level." Manju chuckled.
"Hai hai...I will mind my sugar level, you will mind your energy level." They resumed their way back.
"Souda Gintoki, I have not thank you for this." Manju held out her kapibarasan keychain happily. "And for the necklace too."
"I will be thankful if you stop being stupid." Gintoki looked at her with a bored expression. "And that thing just happen to be on sale. In the first place, how do you know I was the one who got that?" Gintoki is really curious. It is not like she can get finger prints off that toy. He was also sure no one was looking when he put it under her pillow.
"Instinct." Manju beamed, not offended at being called stupid. "Let me treat you to a special strawberry milk."
"Special strawberry milk?" That spark a little interest in him.
"Enn." She nodded and led the way to a booth. "A special strawberry milk please." She ordered.
"Haiyo..." The boss grinned and prepared the drink. He gave her medium cup filled with pastel pink drink and collect the money from Manju.
"Here. Try it. You will love it." Manju beamed and gave the cup to Gintoki.
Gintoki looked at the content, seeing nothing special. "This is not some kind of prank right?" He asked unsure. Manju took one sip to prove that she is not trying to him. Both of them are not those kind to believe in indirect kisses.
"O o...This taste good." Gintoki commented after a sip and started slurping on it.
"Right?" Manju nodded. "It is healthier, considering the fact that it is from fresh fruits and milk. The one Gintoki always drink is artificial."
"For someone who do not really rest, you are exceptionally concern with food." Gintoki finished the drink and started crunching on the ice cubes.
"I am getting enough rest. You just did not think so." Manju smiled.
"Lets see...I can easily count the numbers of sleep you have in 2 days...that is...eight hours. Human requires eight hours of sleep per day, not every two days."
"Say someone who stayed up just to count how many hours I sleep?" Manju asked in amusement.
"I have my fair share of naps."
"I can't help it if I cannot sleep." Manju said.
"You are a problematic kid." Gintoki sighed and scratched his head.
"I will repay the hospital bill soon and leave." Manju knew that well.
"Leave? Who is going to bring me money if you leave?" Gintoki looked at her as they climbed up the stairs. "You are the Yorozuya assets now. Until I free you from your contract, you are not allowed to leave."
"Gintoki, saying it that way make you sound like a mean slave keeper." Manju smiled. "Even without my income, you have been living all this while. You won't die." She opened the door and walked in.
"Oi...what I mean i-" Gintoki tried to clear up that misunderstanding.
"Manju, you are slow! I am hungry already." Kagura complaint.
"Sorry. Some things caught up." Manju sat down beside her and started eating.
"Manju, you looked more tired then yesterday. Are you really getting enough sleep?" Shinpachi scooped her rice.
"Yes. There is just more work to do today." Manju nodded. "I will sleep early tonight."
"About that Manju. I will be going over to anego and spend the night there. If you don't come with me, I will not be able to protect you from Gin-chan." Kagura said with concern.
"Gintoki is not interested in flat chest." Manju laughed and patted her head. "Go ahead and have fun. I have difficulty sleeping in new places."
"Don't worry Manju. You will grow melons in the future aru." Kagura said.
"No way. Melons are heavy and inconvenient." Manju laughed and shook her head.
"Why did the topic turn into this?" Shinpachi shook his head.
"At least have two bowls of rice." Gintoki put a cherry tomato on top of two bowls of rice that was positioned next to each other, displaying a set of breast and nipples.
"Oi! Enough already. Be mindful of the content here!" Shinpachi removed the tomatoes and yelled at Gintoki.
"We can always raise the rating, no big deal. Kids nowadays like to fake their age anyway." Gintoki started eating.
"Gin-san, what are you teaching the kids?!" Shinpachi face palmed.
Just like any other day, noise filled dinner. Shinpachi insisted on finishing the dishes before he leave with Kagura. Manju had took a quick shower and went into the room. Perhaps, because of the panic attack earlier on, she really felt tired and could fall asleep easily.
Gintoki on the other hand have some difficulty sleeping. He did not think that Manju was this dedicated. This is Gintama, an anime where crude jokes, mean insults and many things are. "To add in such a character, just what is the author thinking?"
Ya! The script. If he can just read through the script, he can help her recover her memory.
Sneaking out of the room, he opened up his drawer.
Gone.
WHERE IS THE SCRIPT?!
Gintoki swear he put it here. Everyday before the anime start, he would go through it one more time, hope to see a miracle where he will win the lottery and fix his diabetics. He started looking for it under the sofa, in other drawers, and even the kitchen, but he could not find it anywhere.
"Forget it...I will get Shinpachi to photocopy one for me tomorrow." Gintoki yawned and returned to his room. Manju is sleeping on her left now, index finger hooked onto the Kapibarasan keychain. "You are working too hard idiot. Stop worryings on those useless things." Gintoki reached out and stroke her hair. Shifting a little, Manju brought the keychain closer to her face, relaxed.
Goodnight, Man-chan.