Hey guys, Murayama Tsuru here. Here's the 21st chapter. Sorry it was a little late, another story about Nico di Angelo got in the way ^_^ if you want, you should go read it. Anyway, here's the chapter. Enjoy ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama; it's the property of Sorachi Hideaki-Sensei.

Kagura woke up to the smell of something delicious food cooking. This was rather surprising because, ever since Gin had returned from DC, he had refused to cook breakfast due to the fact that he was still too tired from fighting a giant toad demon. Although not cooking wasn't really unusual behavior for Gin, Kagura still felt just a little sorry for Shinpachi who was now designated to do all the cooking.

But, today Gin-chan seemed to have forgotten his lazy tendencies and was cooking for once (although she never said anything, Kagura actually liked Gin's food). So she exited her closet, ready to praise Gin-chan for finally not being too tired to cook.

When she opened the closet door, though, she saw that her silver-haired boss was reading manga as usual on the couch. Kagura blinked in confusion, maybe she had just imagined that smells were emanating from the kitchen; that sometimes happened when she had food related dreams.

So, Kagura sniffed the air again. She hadn't been imagining the smell of food cooking. She turned toward the kitchen area, wondering if Shinpachi was here already. But what she was unfamiliar blond hair. More confused than ever, she asked, "Gin-chan, who's the blond? Don't tell me you picked up another girl who's really a guy."

Gin, who somehow hadn't heard Kagura exit her closet, jumped a little. He turned around then and for a little while until Gin sighed and blinked. He then said, "This here is Shizuke. I'm looking after him for Zura because he might be working with some bad guy or another."

Kagura was about to respond, but the blond interrupted her, "It's not Shizuke! How many times do I have to tell you it's Shizuka!"

Gin shrugged, "Well whatever his name is, he's stuck with us for a while. So, I decided to keep him out of trouble by having him make us breakfast. Nothing bad can come out of that now can it?"

"Except," Shizuka noted, "I might just decide to poison you if you keep getting my name wrong, Kintoki-san."

Gin's glare came back with a vengeance as turned his gaze away from Kagura, "How do you know that nickname? Have you been talking to that idiot Sakamoto?"

Continuing his cooking, Shizuka snorted, "No, I have not been talking to Sakamoto Tatusma. It's just that if my organization wants to know Katsura's weaknesses then we have to know his friends as well. And I know that you have a weakness for anything sweet and don't like being called Kintoki. So, now you know how it feels to be called a name that's not yours."

Gin growled in response, "Fine Abe Shizuka, I won't mispronounce your name again. As long as you call me by mine that is. No more of this Kintoki business. Are series is not called Kintama after all. If it were, we'd be booted off the air."

Shizuka looked like he was about to say something else, but Kagura's stomach growled and she complained, "Gin-chan, I'm hungry! When's breakfast going to be ready?"

"Well, Shizuka? When is breakfast going to be ready? I'm hungry as well."

Shizuka sighed, "Well, just give me a minute. You know, this would have gone a lot faster if you had helped out Gintoki."

Just as Gin was about to retort, Kagura burst in, "Enough with the italics already! I just want my food!"

Gin chuckled at that, "Ok, Kagura, we'll stop emphasizing our words. And, Shizuka-kun, what kind of trouble would you stay out of if I helped you make breakfast? You have to learn your lessons on your own, y'know."

"You're just saying that because you were too lazy to cook yourself." Shizuka grumbled.

"How true," Gin said with a grin, "so, are you done cooking yet? All this talking has made me hungry!"

"Quit your groaning," Shizuka growled in response, "it's ready."

"Yay!" Kagura said excitedly. The silver-haired man and the Yato girl then gathered in the kitchen area as Shizuka served up bacon and pancakes and miso soup (because why not).

As they were just about to eat, the door to the Yorozuya opened and Shinpachi walked in, a grin on his face at the thought of another crazy day at the Yorozuya. But, his eyes landed on the three eating breakfast. How was this blond person and why was he doing Shinpachi's job of serving up food?

Shinpachi's eyes narrowed then as he approached the table, ready to get some serious questioning in. Gin, noticing him for the first time, waved and said, "Ah, Shinpachi, you're just in time for breakfast. Our new friend made it for us."

Shinpachi growled in return, "Gin-san who the hell is this guy?"

"I'm looking after him as a favor for Zura." Gin shrugged, taking a bite of one of his pancakes

Shinpachi didn't look impressed, "Well, why didn't you wait until I was here so I could make breakfast for you?"

"Why are you so hung up on this?" Gin asked, looking genuinely, "It's not like we haven't eaten without you before."

"But," Shinpachi started, "this is the first time you've had some stranger make breakfast for you! Sure there was Abuto-san that one time, but he had been around for at least a day before he did any cooking!"

Gin blinked, still confused, "Let me get this straight, you're mad because you didn't get to do any cooking? If you really want, you can make us something…"

Shinpachi, annoyed at Gin's lack of understanding about his anger, turned his head away and huffed, "Well, now I'm not gonna do it!"

"That's fine too, I guess." Gin shrugged, "you can do what you want. I'm not your sister after all." At that, the silver-haired Samurai went back to eating.

After a moment of chewing, though, Gin looked over to Shizuka and asked, "Oi, did you make enough for this glasses brat as well?"

Shizuka rolled his eyes, "Of course I did, you told me to make a lot after all." Gin nodded in response and fished out another plate for Shinpachi to put food on. Shinpachi took the plate, a small smile on his face; it was good to be included.

Once the glasses boy had gotten his food, he sat down. There was a minute or two of silent munching and then Shinpachi asked, "So, a favor for Katsura-san, huh? I didn't know you did him favors."

"Tch," Gin said after he swallowed, "shows what you know. I happen to do favors for all my friends…as long as they pay me back that is." Shinpachi chuckled in response and then went back to eating.

Hijikata was altogether too tired. He had spent way too long wandering the base that these Joui terrorists ran and yet, he still couldn't for the life of him figure out where anything was. It really made him wish he had a map of the place.

And then, suddenly, he realized that Abe Shizuka was the map expert of this group so maybe he had drawn on of the place when he had first started being a terrorist. So he looked around the room he'd finally managed to get back to, to see if he could find anything that would help him out.

And eventually, after some digging, he actually found something. The map looked old and wrinkled (somehow, Hijikata was pretty happy that he hadn't been the only one with trouble finding his way) and it had been drawn on what looked to be computer paper. But even so, Hijikata was desperate enough to look through it carefully, attempting to memorize every detail of this base.

Soon, it was time for Hijikata to go to the mess hall for lunch and some sort of mass meeting, the details hadn't been all that specific. So, with map in hand, Hijikata left Shizuka's room and started following the map where (he hoped) the mess hall would be.

And low and behold, he made it to the mess hall in little time at all! Hijikata smiled slightly at the map and then folded it up and put it in his pocket. Feeling so happy at the fact that he had made it to the mess hall, without thinking, Hijikata made sure to get lots of mayonnaise on whatever slop they were serving in the cafeteria.

But then, when Hijikata went to sit down, someone commented, "Chizuo, dude, what's with all the mayo? Since when did you like that stuff? Did you lose a bet to Sakubo again? If so then, man, I feel sorry for you…"

Hijikata was about to retort on how mayonnaise was the almighty condiment when he remembered that Abe Shizuka probably didn't really like mayo (no one seemed to…). So instead he mumbled a quiet, annoyed reply.

The other dude clicked his tongue, "That Sakubo really is a sadist. Making you put all that mayo on your food…"

"I'm a what now?" Came a female voice that made both Hijikata and the other guy jump. They turned around to see Sakubo standing behind them, her hands on her hips and a glare in her eyes. She looked at the other guy once more and asked, "Now, what would make you think I'm a sadist? And what's this about a bet between me and the blond brat? I can assure you that I have done no such thing."

"What?" the nameless other Joui guy said, "But, I was sure that you had! I mean, why else would Chizuo-kun be eating all that mayo? You know he doesn't even like the stuff!"

"Well," Sakubo said thoughtfully, "I wonder about that. Maybe he's been spending too much time with a certain mayonnaise-eating, cigarette smoking member of Edo's 'number one' law enforcement group."

"Why would you think that?" the guy asked, "I don't smell any cigarettes on him. Besides I doubt Chizuo-kun has even met any member of the Shinsengumi."

"Oh?" Sakubo responded, pinching her nose shut and fanning her face as if she smelled something terrible (Hijikata was not enjoying this at all), "But, he reeks of cigarettes to me. And also, didn't you know that he went to the Shinsengumi to steal the map that we'll be using for tomorrow's operation? I heard he had to steal it directly from Hijikata Toshiro himself."

"That's not what happened." Hijikata cut in, "H…I stole it from Hijikata Toshiro's comrade. Then I stole that…Shinsengumi bastard's sword and used it to kill said comrade and then left. There was hardly any fighting involved at all."

"Wow," the other guy said, "and I thought you liked fighting Chizuo-kun? What happened?"

Hijikata sighed, "I guess, I just wanted to get out of there quickly. Maybe there was something about being ganged up on by two Shinsengumi members, with more on the way that seemed more than a little daunting…"

"Hm," Sakubo pondered, "you don't sound very sure of yourself. Are you sure that all that mayonnaise isn't going to your head?"

Hijikata was about to retort when Ninomiya Ankoku's voice cut through all the chatter, turning the room silent, "Everyone, I'm so glad that you're here. It's time to discuss the plan to invade the sewers under the Shinsengumi, with the help of the illustrious Katsura-san, and cut that gang of thug cops down to size. I know how much you have all been waiting for this. And now, we only have to wait just a little bit longer until our dreams are realized."

There was a general murmur of agreement throughout the crowd. Hijikata, though, let his thoughts still. He could worry about who didn't like the almighty mayonnaise later; now was the time to listen to Ninomiya Ankoku's plan and figure out a way to get said plan back to both Kondo-san and Katsura.

But, just as Ankoku started talking again, Hijikata began to feel woozy. His vision started to blur and all sounds came to his ears as if he were underwater. His breathing became shallow and he looked down at his mayonnaise, wondering if Sougo had put something in it again. But then he remembered that Sougo wasn't here so he couldn't be the culprit. He then looked up at the short girl who wasn't so riveted on Ninomiya Ankoku's speech. As Hijikata's consciousness faded away, he noticed the girl smirking at him.

When Katsura returned to his flower shop base, he was almost bowled over by a very stressed looking Elizabeth (he had forgotten that he had sent Elizabeth home once they saw that Gin had apprehended Shizuka). "What's the hurry Elizabeth? Did you run out of signs?"

Elizabeth shook her head, No, I did not run out of signs! But, we have trouble! Douhou has been made!

"What?" Katsura gasped, extremely surprised, "How did that happen? And, more importantly, how do you know?"

Because, Elizabeth's next sign read, I found this note when I got back. It says that they that Douhou is impersonating Abe Shizuka. And, if we don't come claim him as ours in the next thirty minutes then they're going to kill him.

Katsura paled. There was a moment of silence around the two in which Katsura wasn't sure what he should do. Suddenly, though, he said calmly, "Elizabeth, get me my costume bag, we're going to rescue Hijikata."

And that is the end of that chapter ^_^ Again, sorry it was a little late. Next chapter, Hijikata will be rescued. And with that, I have nothing else to say. So, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated as I love to know what you guys think.

-村山鶴