A/N: Apologies for the late update. I've been having trouble with the writing style I chose for this story. As you have noticed some chapters are without any dialogue at all and simple describing their interactions. I did that because it needed to have the serious, heavy atmosphere from defeating Housen, and to remember the losses of that fight, and whenever Gintoki opened his mouth he started talking random shit. I'm regretting that decision now, but oh well, let's see where this will go.
Smoothly he maneuvered through the busy city while the Leader of the Hyakka on the back of his scooter was polluting the already polluted city air with that pipe of hers. Their silence wasn't a bad thing. Until the samurai noticed something in the corner of his eyes, that is. On impulse he turned around - a surprisingly delicate hand grabbing his yukata in reflex - and parked his scooter in front of a cafe.
He got off, took the key out of the lock, walked to the cafe, opened the door and gestured at his passenger who had watched him in perfect silence who didn't make any indication to follow him.
The samurai rolled his eyes and told her to enter while two passing high school girls threw them strange expressions and started giggling and she frowned.
"This ain't no Yoshiwara."
You must be new here, Sherlock.
"Damn right this ain't a place full of heaven's dreadful creations. This is what citizens of the surface call the cafe. You may not have had those in that city of yours but you should know about them right? All you're required to do here is ordering parfaits and drinking lots of coffee or tea and ordering desserts and parfaits and-"
Her hand rose to stop his explanation.
"What, Tsukuyo?"
Meanwhile his hand was still holding the open door.
"Weren't ya gonna drop me off in Yoshiwara so I can pay ya tha money?"
"I still am. I just felt like taking a break."
For the second time that day they locked gazes and although the kunoichi hadn't uttered one word her eyes pierced through his facade.
"Fine. There's this small errand I just realized I have to run so I figured that it wouldn't hurt to rest for a moment. We have been up all night after all. Even people like you should eat once in a while and this will kill two birds with one stone - nothing personal against birds; just a figure of speech of the surface."
"..."
"You know what birds are right?"
"I spent my whole youth livin' under tha ground, Gintoki. Not under a rock."
"Hmpf. Guess you wouldn't have looked the way you do if you were related to Patrick Star."
The kunoichi simply stared at him with cold eyes. The samurai sighed, made a mental note that humor wasn't her thing, gave up, and asked his question again.
"Well, Yue? Already feel like you've abused my honorable scarred self enough as it is without making my alter ego hold the door for ten minutes?"
A second passed and another second passed and another second passed and finally she moved.
"I can open tha doors myself, Gintoki."
His expression didn't waver.
"No doubt that you can."
Tsukuyo gave him the same look as those girls earlier - in Tsukuyo-style expressed through her cold attitude - while she passed him and entered the cafe.
Enjoying the new-found freedom of his sleeping arm he followed after her into Café Maid Latte.
