Chapter 14: Being caught by enemies isn't a good idea at all.
BETA READ BY AL19
"Man, it's raining again…" Gintoki grumbled while looking outside the window. Rain drops continued to pour all over Edo and the Yorozuya hadn't received a job these days. Gintoki sat in his rotating chair while reading his jump. "Man, today is troublesome. Rain is too troublesome. Shinpachi is too troublesome…"
"Don't include me in your complaints!" Shinpachi shouted.
The Yorozuya headquarters were currently experiencing a gloomy atmosphere due to the heavy rain. Ketsuno Ana reported that it'd last a few days before the rain would stop. They didn't received any jobs for the past few days and now they were suffering from hunger.
"Come on, cheer up guys… Soon, we will have a job, so don't worry." Shinpachi cheered.
But the trio just ignored him and continued mourning about this. Shinpachi couldn't take it anymore, so he cheered again, "Soon… I-Independence day will be over, so stop this gloomy atmosphere!"
"Shut up, Glasses…" Kagura retorted.
That made Shinpachi blow up, "Hey! Stop it! Why are you always mocking about my glasses?! And glasses isn't my name at all!"
Ding. Dong.
"Open it, Glasses. That's your only use so hurry up and open it..." Kagura mocked him.
"Shut up will you?! What do you even mean by that?!" Shinpachi yelped and headed for the front door.
Sliding the door open, he witnessed a chest length pink haired girl. This girl was so cute, that Shinpachi began to blush. There were sparkles and flowers all around her. She was wet from the rain; Shinpachi didn't hesitate to let her in.
"Gin-san we have a-"
He was interrupted when Satsuki pointed her katana at him, "Who are you?"
"Umm. Satsuki-san, I-It's Shi—"
"I'm not asking you! That girl… Who are you?!" Satsuki pointed the blade at the pink-haired lady.
Scared about this, the girl hid behind Shinpachi, "I-I'm a customer."
"C-Calm down, Satsuki-san… We will lose a customer if you do that!" Shinpachi warned her.
Satsuki put down her katana, giving the girl a scary look, "Are you really sure that you came as a customer?"
"Y-Yes." The girl replied. They both past by Satsuki as she glared at the girl endlessly. Sighing to this, she returned to the couch with Kagura and Gintoki.
The girl cleared her throat and introduced herself, "I am Sayuri Isumi…"
Satsuki noticed band aids all over her hand. Confused, she asked her, "What's that band aids for?"
"Lately, I was sewing some dresses.. Well, I love sewing so it always pricks my hand." Isumi answered.
"Are you fond of cooking or baking?" Satsuki questioned.
"No… I'm not fond of it... I cannot even cook nor bake!" Isumi replied.
As the discussion got deep, Shinpachi handed a cup of tea to her, "Here's your tea."
Isumi took a sip and started discussing the job, "I need you to return my lost necklace… It was a gift from my mom and dad. But someone stole it and put it in a nearby ship. So I need you to return it to me. I spotted suspicious ships… I-"
But before she could continue her sentence, a loud lightning crashed, causing them to have a black out.
"A black out? Wait here and I'll check the power source... Gin-san, Kagura-chan and Satsuki-san, don't do anything ridiculous!" Shinpachi warned and exited with a candle.
"Ne! Pink-haired bitch! Are you a lefty?" Kagura asked.
"That's rude, calling me a pink haired bitch… I always use my right hand." Isumi chuckled.
"Hey! How much money will you offer us?" Gintoki asked.
"How about 500,000¥?" Isumi smiled.
Hearing the proposal, the duo didn't hesitate; they bowed to her.
"Master, I won't fail this mission." Kagura stated.
"I will bring back that necklace, no matter what." Gintoki stated as well.
Still, Satsuki wasn't satisfied by this. She thought that this girl was hiding something, which could harm them. Finally, the light returned, but the rain didn't stop. So the Yorozuya decided to let Isumi stay for now.
"Man… Independence Day is sure rough… Shinpachi, cook some food already!" Gintoki ordered.
"Could you wait?!" Shinpachi screamed.
"Shinpachi is too slow! Hurry up, you bastard!" Kagura grumbled.
"Don't call me bastard!" Shinpachi yelled back.
Finally, he was done preparing the food. Putting it n the coffee table, the four, plus Isami, gathered.
"My... My... That was a salt water fish, wasn't it?" Isumi pointed out.
"Y-Yeah." Shinpachi nodded.
They all clasped their hands together and started to dig into the food. It was really noisy since Kagura was snatching all of the food from the others' plate. That made the other people angry and wrestle with her.
"Ummm. Shimura-kun, I think you should deep the fish in soy sauce more so that it can taste better." Isumi recommended.
Shinpachi nodded for that recommendation and continued eating. At last, they were done; Isumi illustrated the two ships she saw.
"Give me white paper and a marker, please." Isumi demanded.
Shinpachi handed a piece of paper and a marker to her. She started drawing; using her left hand. Satsuki felt suspicious towards her. After that, Isumi gave the 2 pieces of paper to Gintoki and Satsuki.
"Now... In order to find it easily, you should split into two groups. Use rock-paper-scissors to do that!" Isumi cheered.
It was evening and the moon shined bright over the Kabukichou district. The rain had stopped, so it was a perfect opportunity to do their assigned tasked. The pairs were decided also, Gintoki would go with Kagura, while Shinpachi would go with Satsuki.
Both parties went their separate way. Isumi cheered at them. As the pairs were gone, Isumi chuckled evilly, "Heh…"
Shinpachi's POV
Satsuki-san and I were walking endlessly. Like we just kept walking in the same road. At the same time, there was complete silence. Satsuki-san was acting strange today when she saw Sayuri-san. I didn't know, but something was bugging her. I stared at her endlessly, trying to solve this mystery when Satsuki-san spoke up.
"What?"
"Uhh... Err. Satsuki-san, you seem to act strange today. What happened?" I blurted out.
We stopped on our tracks and she faced me with a serious look.
"Look, Shinpachi. I don't trust that girl… She told five lies to us…" Satsuki-san stated.
When she said that, I frowned at her. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Plus, Satsuki-san really counted those lies? Really, she was amazing.
"Umm. What are you saying? She did give us a job so we should be—" I was interrupted when she reasoned out.
"She didn't give us a job. She gave us a trap. I don't know whom she would like to get among us. I will tell you the four lies. First, she isn't Sayuri Isumi. She was faking her appearance and, at the same time, her name. I saw her red strings under her pink wig. Second, she said that she didn't know how to cook nor bake. But she did advice you about that salt fish. Moreover, she knew that it was salt fish without even tasting it. Third, she said that she uses her right hand, always. But why did she used her left hand in drawing this map. Fourth, this job. Haven't you notice? The maps were completely off. Why in a ship? Why would the necklace be in the ship? Unless, she said that the necklace was being traded in the ship. Fifth, how did she know about your surname? It's very acceptable that she called you 'Shinpachi', or she will reason out that she heard your surname in the whole town. But she didn't say it; she is obviously a liar." Satsuki-san explained all of it.
I was surprised by this. She completely observed Sayuri-san. Moreover, she knew that she was lying. But I couldn't understand why she set a trap for us. Maybe, Satsuki-san was right… Maybe the four of us were being targeted, but why?
"Um. Satsuki-san, if you knew that it was a trap in the beginning… Why would you go in—Wait! You must be thinking that…" I stuttered.
"Yeah, we will be sneaking in that ship. But I'm going to remind you, if something goes off when we sneak into that ship, please run." Satsuki said with a serious tone and walked out, leaving me in deep thoughts.
"Why tell me to run? Why? Maybe—" I thought as I dashed in front of her. Looking upon her red eyes, I stated, "Satsuki-san… You're like my sister and Gin-san is like my brother… Both doing your best on protecting us and never failing to let us smile. You're just like Gin-san, when trouble comes… He didn't hesitate to protect us even though we knew it was too dangerous. So… Don't ever tell me that when trouble times comes, I won't be able to protect you."
She gave out a loud laugh. Making me feel embarrasssed, after all that lecture…
She ruffled her hair and sighed, "Don't stare at me like that… Just like you said, I am like your sister. Big sisters always protect little brothers, right?"
After saying those words, she walked out again. I started to feel that she was like Gin-san. Running off like that and the next thing we knew, he already saved us without us knowing… Always thinking of us…
"Satsuki-san, please tell me…"
She turned around to face me, "Huh?"
"What would be the signs when Vendetta took over you?" I asked that terrible question, knowing that she didn't want to talk about that, but still… I wanted to protect her…
She chuckled again.
"Come on! I'm being serious here! Stop laughing already!" I shouted at her.
"Sorry! Sorry! Fine, I will tell you... When I started to cry blood, that was the very first transformation of Vendetta. However, when I started to cry black ones… Either the two of them, please just run. Because not even Toushiro could stopped me. No one can stop me… Come on let's go! We will be sneaking on that ship!" She pointed at a ship in the arbor.
I glanced upon the said ship, but still.. I kept on wondering, 'Why is she always telling us to run away?!' But, Hijikata-san saw that side... And he couldn't even save her… I ruffled my hair, knowing that I should clear these words out of my head. Now I've calmed down. For now, I needed to focus on protecting Satsuki-san.
The two of us sneaked onto the ship. It was very tiresome, but I couldn't believe that Satsuki-san was really used to this. She climbed like a monkey on the ship. As for me, I didn't know what to do here! Finally, we were able to sneak upon the said ship. Currently, we were in a certain dark space and it was really congested here. Satsuki-san crawled slowly as I manage to keep up with her. After that, we slid down and saw the deck.
"Finally, we are here, Satsu—" I was stopped when Satsuki-san pushed me to the side.
"Wait! Satsuki-san, it-" My eyes widened when I saw Satsuki-san dodge the bullets, using her katana.
"Really? An intruder now? As expected from her…" A blonde girl with a pink outfit was revealed under the moonlight. When I saw this, I knew already what ship we have sneaked in…
It was the Kihetai.
Normal POV.
When they slid down the pipe, they finally reached the deck. Just then, Satsuki feel a presence behind their backs. So she didn't hesitate to push Shinpachi, unsheathe her katana and block it. Under the moonlight, there, Satsuki saw another blonde woman. Totally, she was the exact bitch that Satsuki really hated. Blonde girl, wearing pink skirt and tube and boots. She knew that the battle was awaiting. So she unsheathed another katana and held it in her hand.
"You know what, I hate plain girls like you." Matako pointed her gun to her.
"I see… I'm not asking your opinion, though. But, I hate blonde bitches who wears tube, skirts and boots…" After Satsuki said those words, Matako instantly fired her gun to Satsuki, but she constantly dodged it.
"Dance…" She said the word as she began on firing bullets at her. Obviously, she continued dodging, and she jumped in the air.
"You're wide open, girl!" She shouted at her and continued to fire, but Satsuki just slashed it, using her katanas. Immediately, she landed, about to pierce her. Her ribbon fell because of the bullets and now she was really pissed.
Satsuki pinned her down with her katana, piercing her left cheek. Satsuki smile grotesquely to her, "You know what…. I don't even know how to dance, so how will I? Also… You even destroyed my ribbon! My hair is getting in my way, you bitch!"
Shinpachi went closer to them as Satsuki demanded, "Now tell me, who was that girl you sent? What is your objective?
She smirked at Satsuki, "Like hell I'll tell you... Senpai!"
The spotlight was turned to the trio. Satsuki knew that this was really dangerous. As they could see, there were several men surrounding them with katanas. Without noticing, Matako counterattacked by kicking her in the chin. After that, she somersaulted and fired her gun.
Because of this, Satsuki needed to push Shinpachi out of the way, and roll to the nearest hiding spot.
"Satsuki-san, this is bad! This ship that we sneaked in belongs to the Kihetai!" Shinpachi stuttered.
"Ehhhh? What is Kihetai?" Satsuki innocently asked.
"What kind of brain do you have?!" Shinpachi cried.
Again, there were bullets being launched at them. Satsuki found this to be hard. Clicking her tongue, she ordered Shinpachi to leave, and say it to Gintoki. But Shinpachi refused to leave her.
Sighing, Satsuki tossed her katana to him and said, "Well, if you don't want to leave then I'll just make you leave. For the meantime, you need to fight. Use that katana."
After saying that, she jumped over, and dashed over the crowd. Without her katana because it broke when she pierced Matako, she fought with her fists and continued.
As for Shinpachi, he held the katana and fought also. The men were no use for them since they were strong. Matako knew that their forces were beginning to fall, so she focused her gun to Shinpachi's knee and fired.
As for Shinpachi, he didn't know that he was being targeted. So, Satsuki made a move and kicked him out.
"Wait! Satsu—" His eyes widened when he saw that Satsuki received the bullet. Her knee was now bleeding lot, so he didn't hesitate to approach her.
"Shinpachi…" Grabbing a random sword, she slashed the group of men behind them, "I told you to leave and say this situation to Gintoki, right?!"
"I won't leave, Satsuki-san. No matter how many times you tell me, I won't leave!" Shinpachi screamed.
Suddenly, a random voice was heard all over the deck. Hearing this voice made Satsuki scared and angry. She knew that this was the worst situation she'd ever been in. Gazing above, there she saw an old enemy. Blue hair with crimson psychotic eyes and that large grin on his face.
"Yo. Satsuki-chan. It's pleasure to meet you..." Alsiel grinned widely, seeing Satsuki's surprised face.
"Why are you here?!" Satsuki hissed.
"My… My… You should be worried first about your companion…" He teased while snapping his fingers.
Satsuki immediately faced Shinpachi, "Shinpachi!" There, she saw Shinpachi lying unconscious. Clenching her fist, "You bullshit!"
She was about to approach the unconscious boy when someone stabbed her at the back. Blood continued to trickle from her left side as she faced the one who stabbed her slowly.
"Okay, that's enough, I daresay." A teal-haired guy with headphones and glasses stood there.
Satsuki grinned at him, "Not bad."
"Gin-chan! Why did we fail to get that necklace?!" Kagura asked while stomping the ground.
"It's because of your stupidness! How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't barge in and get that necklace!" Gintoki snarled.
"But… The men there said that there's no necklace there! Or maybe, Shinpachi and Satsuki-chan were the ones who got it! Damn them, getting the glory all by themselves!" Kagura clicked her tongue.
"I wonder about that…"
"Huh? Gin-chan, getting historical aren't you, uh-huh!" Kagura teased.
"It's hysterical! You know!" Gintoki shouted back and gazed upon the full moon.
Yehey! Another arc made from me. Ohhh. Shinpachi and Satsuki were in trouble! Let's just hope that Gintoki and Kagura went to save them. Anyway, who is that mysterious girl? Wait for my next chapter.
Thank you for reading! Hoping for your continuous support!
-Chii.