A/N: I'm curious. Do you guys like the italics snippets at the bottom? It's fun to write about their past, and I'm going to continue, but I do want to know whether you guys enjoy that as well as the story.


"I am Sakata Tomoe, Gintoki's younger half sister. Nice to meet you," Tomoe bowed.

"I'm Tsukuyo, a kunoichi in a group called Hyakka. We protect Yoshiwara and the women there," the blonde said, the Yoshiwara accent thick on her tongue. "Hinowa couldn't come."

Tomoe took in the scars on the woman's face. She thought the blonde looked quite beautiful, even with the scars marring her face. But she also understood that scarred women could not survive as prostitutes, as they would be unable to gain as many customers as the other, unscarred, beautiful women around them. Not many men would accept physical flaws.

"I'm Sarutobi Ayame, also a ninja. And I'm Gintoki's lover."

The other women in the room raised a doubtful eyebrow, but remained silent. They could argue later, when they wouldn't be spending a night sleeping in the same room. Not that Otae planned to let them sleep.

"Kagura. Yato. I work with Gin-chan and Patsuan."

"And I'm Shimura Tae, daughter of a dojo owner and Shinpachi's older sister. This is Yagyuu Kyuubei," Otae introduced. Kyuubei nodded her greeting. "And now that we all know each other, let's start the party!"

Wearing ridiculous clothes to attempt to blend in with the shadows, Sakata Gintoki and Shimura Shinpachi crawled along the ground. Gintoki's eyes were narrowed as he focused on the lights in the Shimura dojo and the feminine shadows moving around. Shinpachi sighed as he glanced over at the sorry excuse for a samurai. To sneak into a girls' night of all things…

Shinpachi really didn't want to get beaten half to death by his older sister. But it seemed that he would be spending the next few nights in the hospital, all because his 'boss' dragged him along. He just hoped nobody would see them. They would call the cops for sure.

"Ah, Hijikata-san. It's two thieves. Or stalkers," a monotone voice pointed out.

The two on the ground stiffened.

"I'm a cooockrooaccchh," Gintoki drawled.

Shinpachi's brow twitched. As if the two shinsengumi members would believe that. His eyes shifted. Maybe if he left his glasses behind and ran, they would leave him. After all, all the jokes about his glasses being 99% of him had to count for something. Right? Right?!

"Ah. A cockroach…"

BOOM!

"OI! What was that for?!" Gintoki shouted as he leapt up, avoiding the missile shot out from Sougo's trademark bazooka.

"Cockroaches must be exterminated," Sougo said, aiming again.

Shinpachi crawled to the side, feeling singed. At least he didn't stand out. Gintoki could take all the attention here.

"Wait, Sougo. It's not a cockroach. Just an idiot," Hijikata said, placing a hand on the bazooka, forcefully lowering it.

"Ah. Danna," Sougo said, as if he hadn't noticed from the beginning.

"What the hell do you mean 'Ah. Danna'?! You knew it was me from the beginning, damn it! Do you want to die?" Gintoki shouted.

"Did you hear something?" A female's voice rang out loudly.

Tomoe blinked, and moved next to Otae to look out over the yard. It was empty,, save for the column of smoke rising from outside the walls. She shrugged and walked back in.

From behind the bushes and leaves, four heads peeked out. An owl glared at them, and flew off. Stupid humans.

"Why are you hiding?" Shinpachi deadpanned.

"Er… No, just felt like it," Hijikata stammered.

"What's going on, danna?" Sougo asked.

"Girls' night. And they didn't invite us!" Gintoki hissed, scowling.

"Yeah. It's girls' night for a reason," Hijikata rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but—"

Gintoki's volume rose again, and the others immediately shushed him as a shadow moved inside. The group froze, watching, making sure nobody was coming out. And when the shadow moved away from the door, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go closer. They could be planning a terrorist attack," Sougo said.

"Oi!" Hijikata half shouted as the two sadists began creeping closer.

"Tomoe-san isn't going to do anything like that," Shinpachi said with a sigh.

His sister and the stalker kunoichi, on the other hand… Perhaps even Tsukuyo would do something stupid if she was drunk. But Tomoe and Kyuubei were too much like noblewomen to do anything rash or anything not courteous.

With another sigh, Shinpachi moved closer along with Hijikata, hiding behind a beam while the sadists crept under the wood. Shinpachi hoped the rats and spiders and anything else hiding underneath would attack them.

"Tsukki, truth or dare?" Kagura's voice asked.

Sougo fought the urge to burst out and torture the Yato girl until she screamed for mercy.

"Eh? Dare," the Yoshiwara kunoichi said.

"I dare you to go lick an old man's armpits and compare it to sukonbu!" Kagura said, a grin obvious in her voice.

A disgusted silence fell.

"Erm… Kagura-chan, why don't you try another dare?" Otae suggested.

"Eeeh?" Kagura whined, and thought for a moment. "Fine. I dare you to buy me two tubs of rice!"

Of course. Kagura was hungry. The four boys hid and held their breaths, holding themselves completely still as Tsukuyo stepped out and headed to a restaurant. She returned only moments later, easily carrying two tubs of rice. Kagura's cheer told them everything, and sounds of the girl shoveling food into her bottomless pit of a stomach could be clearly heard only moments later.

"Tomoe-san, truth or dare?" Tsukuyo asked.

"Truth."

"You should pick dare," Tsukuyo said.

"Truth," Tomoe repeated firmly.

They all knew Tsukuyo was waiting for someone to say dare, just so she could do something terrible. Said shinobi sighed, disappointed, and was forced to think for a good question.

She settled for the most common one. "Who do you like romantically?"

"Shin-chan," Tomoe said easily.

Three males immediately glared at Shinpachi. Said boy shook his head furiously, large droplets of nervous sweat dripping down his face. It wasn't him! He had no interest at all in the girl, and she never demonstrated any interest in him!

"Shimura Shinpachi?" Kyuubei asked for clarification, her tone doubtful.

"No, of course not," Tomoe said, and everyone nearly sighed a breath of relief. "Takasugi Shinsuke."

The relief vanished like smoke.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Gintoki burst out of the floor, splintering the old wood.

The girls stared up at him, surprised. Their cover was broken. The shinsengumi members and Shinpachi walked in, the latter with a sheepish smile, hoping that while dealing with the others, they would overlook him.

"Please clarify, or we will have you accompany us to the station," Hijikata said coldly, hand on his hilt.

"Takasugi Shinsuke," Tomoe repeated calmly. "You know that very well, Gintoki."

"No, I didn't! What's that pedophile pervert doing with my little sister?!" Gintoki shouted, waving his arms like a demented chicken.

"Nothing at all. And there is nothing wrong with Shin-chan," Tomoe said, eyes narrowing just a hint as she rose to her feet, standing up against the three men.

"Nothing… wrong?" Gintoki sputtered, eyes wide.

And he suddenly realized that his little sister hadn't seen the male in ages. She didn't know that he was a terrorist, that he was wanted by the bakufu, and quite badly. He couldn't tell her, but he had to. If he didn't, then she would continue to like the insane man. But…

How was he supposed to tell her something like that?

"I will come back soon, so wait for me, okay?" Shouyou smiled gently at the children.

Tears streamed down their faces, twisted into expressions of despair. No. Not Shouyou sensei. Anyone but Shouyou sensei! Why, why, whywhywhywhy?! The men began leading their teacher away, with his hands tied behind his back, but he always maintained the smile.

As Takasugi's grip slackened, Tomoe slipped out to run after them, a glare on her tear streaked face, her hand starting to draw the katana out of the scabbard. She let out a scream of rage and despair as her small legs carried her forward.

"Tomoe!" Gintoki shouted, running towards his little sister and his teacher, a hand outreached.

The men barely spared them a glance. The group who were not directly escorting their teacher broke off, one sheathed sword thudding across Tomoe's head, and another tripping Gintoki before a sheathed blade bit into his unprotected throat. A sword tip pointed at the back of the little girl's head, ready to slam through her throat and into the ground if she so much as twitched.

But she lay motionless, and the group of boys watched with horror as a trickle of blood ran down her temple, a patch of hair slowly turning red. Gintoki screamed, the sound raspy.

"Shut up, boy!" The adult snarled, leg snapping out to kick the silver haired boy to the side.

"Don't hurt them!" Shouyou growled, eyes glinting with murderous rage.

Everyone froze. The children had never seen their kind and goofy sensei like this. And the men escorting him stiffened, cold sweat rolling down their necks from terror. The bloodlust was strong. The man was strong. If he wanted to, he could slaughter them all, even without a blade in his hands. The men began backing away from the children, cursing themselves for letting their legs shake.

"Draw your sword only to protect. Do not forget that lesson, Gintoki, Katsura, Takasugi, everyone," Shouyou said seriously, the smile gone as he looked each of his conscious students in the eyes. "I am very proud of all of you. Remember that."