A/N - I made up a few characters who work in the club. They appear very briefly, and are only mentioned by name. And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! Thank you so much for all of your kind words. :)

Chapter Four

Upon Tae's entrance into the dressing rooms of the club, a sudden explosion of color showered her with glitter and confetti.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

Tae blinked in pure confusion and to get the paper bits out of her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked in a daze, still blinking out sparkly confetti.

"Otae-chan! Why didn't you tell us you were getting married?" Hanako squealed. Various sentiments along the same line came from every direction, freaking Tae out just a little.

"Calm down, all of you!" Oryo scolded. She turned to Tae and smiled. "We were so surprised when the boss told us you were getting married! At first, we thought you were pregnant." Tae's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Though he was quick to assure us that that was most certainly not the case," added Miku, having seen the dangerous twitch.

"How did he propose?" Hanako asked with sparkling eyes. "Was it romantic?"

"He got down on one knee and asked." Tae, being the complete opposite of a romantic, had no idea how to answer the second part of the question. Several of the girls sighed happily.

"Did he give you a ring?" asked Aki in excitement. Tae nodded and showed off her ring, blushing.

"Aww, she's blushing," cooed Aiko. "Oh, Otae-san, you're so lucky!"

"Are you having a ceremony or just going to City Hall?" Ane asked.

"City Hall," Tae answered.

"You're not having a ceremony?" groaned several of the girls, looking disappointed.

"Are you at least having a reception?" cried out Chiyo.

Tae shook her head. "We hadn't planned on it." A chorus of moans and gasps followed.

"Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Ane smirked.

"Very sure!" Tae snapped.

"What's his name?" Miku inquired. All of the other girls suddenly realized they had forgotten the most important question of all. Tae was suddenly bombarded with questions about her fiancé.

"His name is Sakata Gintoki." She decided to start with his name.

"WHAT?" Ane, Hanako, and Oryo stared at her incredulously. "Him? Why?"

"Stop gossiping and get to work!" the club owner yelled from the doorway, where no one had noticed him. The girls scurried to their own areas to get ready. Tae was very relieved.

Tae woke up Saturday morning feeling rather nervous, though she wasn't exactly sure why. Around eight o' clock, Ikumatsu arrived to help Tae with her makeup, hair, and kimono. Tae would have been perfectly willing to get married in her regular clothes, but Ikumatsu, believing the marriage to be genuine, had come expecting that Tae would be wearing a traditional wedding kimono, one which she would need help putting on.

Tae decided then that wearing a wedding kimono would probably make the whole scam look more real, so she went into the storage area of the Shimura home to find her mother's shiromaku. Luckily, it had not been sold when the Shimura family had gone into debt; neither her father nor Tae had been able to part with it.

The garment was stored far in the back, folded carefully into an old trunk. The shiromaku was true to its name–it was pure white, with red camellias embroidered near the hem in silk thread. Ikumatsu sighed when she saw it.

"It's beautiful, Otae-san."

Tae suddenly found herself choked up when she saw the fabric. Her parents wedding picture was the only one she had of them. In the only picture she had of her mother, and the only image in Tae's mind of her, she was wearing this kimono. Tae rubbed at her eyes, angry with herself. She had no reason to get so emotional about a fake wedding. They'd be divorcing as soon as she had her property, anyway. For some strange reason, that thought made the tears that were gathering threaten to spill over.

Tae recovered and she and Ikumatsu went back to her room to apply the makeup and style her hair before they tackled the feat of getting the heavy kimono on.

Gin was already awake and making breakfast for himself and Kagura when he heard a knock at the door.

"Whatever you're selling, we can't afford it," he yelled through the door before sliding it open. "Oh, Zura. It's you."

"I'm not Zura. I am Space Captain Katsuuura."

Gin blinked at the sight of Katsura in his ridiculous Space Captain cosplay.

"Why are you wearing that? And why are you even here?"

"Ikumatsu-dono sent me to make sure you were wearing something nice for the wedding. And I am cleverly disguised so that I may accompany you to the wedding."

"… Why does everyone seem to think I'm going to be the worst husband ever?"

Ikumatsu stuck the final kanzashi in Tae's beautifully styled hair and stepped back to admire her work. With the hair and makeup done, Ikumatsu began the daunting task of dressing Tae. The shiromaku was a complicated garment that took a very long time to put on. After nearly two hours, Ikumatsu was finally almost done.

"Otae-san?"

"Hmm?"

"I hope you don't think that I'm nosy, but are you…knowledgeable about what happens between a married couple in the bedroom?"

Tae's cheeks flared.

"I know about what happens," she muttered, her face still very hot. Ikumatsu visibly relaxed.

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed. "I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were in for later tonight." She tied the final knot of the obi and straightened the kimono out. Tae turned around, with some difficulty, due to the weight of the fabric, curiously looked at her reflection in the mirror, and instantly had the breath knocked out of her. She looked exactly like her mother. Dimly, she was aware of Ikumatsu sighing behind her.

"You look so beautiful!" Ikumatsu gushed. Tae was too stunned to respond. At that moment, they heard knocking on the front door, shaking Tae out of her stupor. Ikumatsu smiled.

"Perfectly on time!" She gently took Tae by the arm and led her toward the front door, which Shinpachi had already opened to welcome in their guests. Shinpachi's jaw dropped at the sight of her. His wasn't the only one.

"Ane-go, you look so pretty, uh huh!" Kagura exclaimed.

"Thank you so much, Ikumatsu-san," Tae said in a subdued voice. Ikumatsu smiled back. Her smile widened even further at the look on Gin's face when he took his beautiful, blushing bride by the hand. She sighed again.

"Is something the matter, Ikumatsu-dono?" Katsura asked in concern. Ikumatsu shook her head.

"I wish I'd had a daughter." A look of sadness passed on Ikumatsu's face. As quickly as it had come, it was replaced by another smile. "Let's get those two to City Hall before they forget they're supposed to be getting married." She went forward to usher the wedding party out the door in a quite motherly fashion. Katsura moved to catch up with them.

"And good job picking out his clothes," Ikumatsu whispered to Katsura when she was sure Gin and Tae weren't listening, motioning to the traditional black monstuki and striped hakama the groom wore.