KATSURA: Wait a minute Mr. Author. When will you tell my fighting scene with the old man? They should know about it. The readers should be probably waiting for it too.
AUTHOR: What? Did I put a fighting scene between you and the old man? (CHECKS PREVIOUS CHAPTER…) Oh yeah, I remember now.
KATSURA: Well?
AUTHOR: (Yawns) I'm not really in the mood… But if you insist… I'll do my best to fight my laziness in writing your scene… To all readers, this is chapter 9 ½ and will be followed by chapter 10. Thanks for all who leave their reviews.
GINTOKI: Oi oi… I thought chapter 9 will be the last chapter.
AUTHOR: Hmm… I received 3 reviews from chapter 9, after the day I published it and they said that I should continue it. Since the ideas in my head are coming again I will…
GINTOKI: (Sighs) you should stop making false endings like you did in chapter 3, 8, and 9…
AUTHOR: Okay, sorry 'bout that… Well? Let's begin…
CHAPTER 9 ½
Zurako struggles to fight the old man. He's good at fighting and has very quick reflexes in dodging. After some punching and kicking and swinging etc, Zurako loses and his body can't stand no more. The old man didn't kill him because he is too good in delivering Hollywood punch lines. He left without a trace after knowing that Kuraba is dead.
END of CHAPTER
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KATSURA: What the hell is this! It's too short (62 words). You didn't put some effort to detai…
AUTHOR: Sheesh… Quit complaining. The reader will get upset if I'll not start chapter 10 right away…
CHAPTER 10
"*coughs*"
She quickly raised his head and rests it on her lap as the silver haired samurai blurted out water out of his lungs. He's really badly injured that even his wet ripped clothes can tell. There are slashes everywhere and mostly on his back. His deep cuts on his arms were cleaned from blood after falling from the river and now can obviously seen on how deep the cuts are. He coughed for a few times before he went into deep unconsciousness again.
If she has enough bandages and clean cloth, she will surely treat his wound immediately but she's soaking wet too especially that the kimono she's wearing is thick unlike her usual attire. She couldn't do anything for now but to look at his sleeping face and stare at it. She's tired anyway, after beating hundreds of them, swim for minutes for searching him and finally climbing using the ladder while carrying this guy with her. She feels like she finished a triathlon event. She thought that she should keep sitting on the ground while Gintoki lies down on her lap so they can take a rest for a while. She just continuously stared at his lips like he's waiting for him to speak out.
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"Master, I was very happy to see you and talk to you again." He thought while continuously falling down the darkness again. He gazed above to see other world for the last time but he was distracted when a white light shines at the bottom of the cliff. He slowly flipped his body to see this light. He's seeing something. He scrutinizes the light and he finally recognizes it.
"Wait. These are my memory. These images… Images of those idiot people… Idiot people I call 'friends'. These are people…"
He paused for a moment and smiled as his memory starts to flashback again.
"People… needing protection." Then everything just instantly dissolved by white light, surrounding him with nothing but a light.
"Master. Why did you teach me this lesson so late? So late that you taught it to me in the other world?" He whispered with light grin on his face.
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"Boss!" shouted the Hyakka altogether, as they came flying, now that they finally saw their beloved Tsukuyo lying down with the silver haired guy who's still unconscious. They search for them for almost an hour. She is already fallen asleep because of exhaustion while waiting for Gintoki to gain back consciousness.
They all stare at them who are sleeping on the cold hard ground with very wet clothes. They looked so cute facing each other like they are sleeping on a bed. One of them took a picture of them before they carry them back to Hinowa's house.
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"Hmm… It looks like you had a tough time huh Zurako," said Toushiko with a grin on his face as he turns his back on him. They coincidentally met each other again as they about to leave the premises.
"Me? What are you talking about? I think you're the one who had a hard time," he replied in a bragging manner. They don't want to get judged each other weaker so they're boasting like an 8-year-old that they didn't got a hard time even though that they clothes and bruises says it.
"Look at yourself Toushiko. What are those kunais doing on your back?" He pointed his back with lots of kunai sticking on him. Toushiko doesn't want to say that he was accidentally hit by some kunais after acting so cool while standing in the middle of raging Hyakka's before.
"Wow, I didn't know that… because I wasn't feeling any pain or something behind me," answered Toushiko who is obviously lying. But the real truth is he's already agonizing in pain after he struck the sword in Kuraba's head.
There was a long silence between the two as they continue to walk even though their legs are struggling to stand and take every step. It didn't take long before they noticed each other's injuries. Toushiko extended his arm and placed it on his shoulder to support Zurako in walking. He also did the same for him.
"I'll let you off this time… Katsura," said Toushiko with a small grin of his face. Their make ups are both faded because of the sweat during the battle so they probably recognize one another earlier.
"That's really something. But I'm not gonna thank you for that, Hijikata Toushiro." He replied.
"I don't mind I'm not expecting it anyway."
They two swore enemies seems to raise their white flag for now and tries to get along with each other. It's not just because he help him fight a crime but also he made his sweet revenge on Kuraba easier.
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Meanwhile in a certain ship floating around the Edo:
"Sir, it looks like Kuraba is dead," informed the afro assistant to his afro boss.
"What? Tch. He's just a piece of trash anyway" He answered as he takes another sip in his goblet. He didn't get angry about it even he will lose a good amount of cash because of that incident. "Hey afro boy!" He called.
"Sir, we're all afros so why did you call me afro boy, it'll be quite confusing since all of the people here inside your office like the two guards on your door are afro." He replied in very polite tone which made he called 'boss' angry.
"Shut up. I know that. I'm just testing you," said the boss. "Don't report anything useless like this again."
"Anyway, who did this?"
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It's been almost an hour after the Hyakka brought back Tsukuyo and the silver haired samurai to Hinowa's house. The house went busy as everyone runs here and there to get medical supplies, clean clothes and treating their wounds but after everything was done and there was nothing to worry about, all of the member of Hyakka left and sooner after that, everyone in the house went to sleep. The sun will about to rise any minute now but everybody in the house seems that they didn't care and just want to sleep.
The cold wind from the window gives her the chills and wakes her up in the early in the morning. She didn't take any thinking if she's gonna get up or get the hell back to sleep, she just opened her eyes even though she's been sleeping for only 45 minutes and her eyelids are still heavy. She began to notice that she's sleeping in the same bed she slept last night, the same bed where she felt that warmth. She facing on the empty side of the bed giving her the idea that she's been alone sleeping in Hinowa's bed. She notices the bandages around her arm that give her the idea that they have been rescued earlier. Was she really alone when she's still sleeping? Probably yes because she didn't felt the same warm embrace like last night. This made her feel a little lonely now that she's not with her love… (SMACKS AUTHOR) I mean with Gintoki. Anyway, it'll be back to normal again, she grabbed her smoking pipe on the drawer and did his hair quickly jumped out of the window to get on the roof. She knows that it would be better if she takes a nap on the roof rather than the gloomy room inside. She's expecting to see an empty green roof but after she peeps her head out, she saw a man lying down the roof with his arms behind his head. He has more bandages around his body that her and she noticed that he's not wearing his white kimono and boots, he's barefooted and only his black shirt and pants was on him. Her moody feeling suddenly changed to bright the moment their eyes meet.
"Yo Tsukuyo, feeling better," asked Gintoki with a silly smile.
"Baka, I should be asking the same question." She replied as she approaches to him and sit beside him and watched the sun rising.
"So, how are your wounds?" She asked.
"It still hurts but I'm fine."
There was longish silence between them as they see the sun rising up between the mountains. Seeing Gintoki fine makes her at least good but the trouble she made to him makes her a little bit down.
"You saved Yoshiwara again Gintoki. I don't know how I'm gonna thank you for that," said Tsukuyo as she lit her pipe and blew out a smoke.
"What are you saying? -" he muttered turning his back on her. "It's just the payment for accompanying me last night and the night before last night.—So there's no big deal for it."
That payment would be too big, she thought. She thinks that that has to be a change at least.
"And Tsukuyo… Just don't think of returning a favor to me like you did last time." He said like he read her mind already. He's referring to that wild night they spent after she got drunk where he almost got painful services from her.
She blushed on what he just said. "Like hell I'm gonna do that thing again. It's just Hinowa ask me to do it and I have no idea about it." She said in anger. But what could be the best way to return a favor to him? She couldn't just leave at that.
She looked at the silver haired guy and she suddenly remembers that she wants to ask him a question. A question she wants to ask so badly after they've gone to fight last night. Gathering up his courage, she let out a light breath and looked at him.
"oi Gintoki, d-d-did you slept w-w-with me last n-night?" Now that she said, she feels like she doesn't want to hear the 'yes' answer.
He just smiled secretly and asked her a question also. "Why did you ask?"
Her face is now starting to get red and her heart is beating fast again. "B-b-because I-I-I felt someone just hugged me from b-behind." She answered. But she thought he may get the wrong the idea so she cleared it out. "A-ah I'm sorry to ask you a silly question. I think it's just a dream because I just felt something warm behind. Just drop the subject."
She quickly looked away from embarrassment and shrugged it off. She regrets that she asked that. He might be laughing inside about it. But her thoughts were wrong.
"Oh, you mean like this…"
Before she already knew, he quickly gets up, and wrapped his arms around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder from behind. She felt a warm breath crawled around her ear that gave her a good sensation. Her body froze for a second, feeling so shocked about it. She let out a smile and gently placed her hand on her arms trying to feel her rough skin.
"This is the same as…" She thought but before she could finish, she heard a crumpling sound of paper inside her sleeve. That sound reminds her that she needs to this question too.
"Oi, Gintoki, can I ask you another question?"
END
AUTHOR: woohoo I finally finished…
GINTOKI: Don't listen to this guy… I'm sure he'll add another chapter.
AUTHOR: Wha…? Anyways, reviews are accepted, anonymous or not…. Thanks 4 reading.
GINTOKI: Anyway what are your plans for upcoming updates?
AUTHOR: Let's see… If I wrote something like hardcore drama, readers might lose their interest. Bloodgore would awesome too… Anyways, I haven't written any story with specific genre.
GINTOKI: Like they said…
TSUKUYO: There's always first time for anything.
AUTHOR: So what do you think?