Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 2

Kagura was currently lying down on the couch in her home, silently staring up at the ceiling. A short ways away from her, Gintoki sat at his desk and appeared to be looking over some papers. He too, was being quiet, and it created quite an unusual atmosphere for a place that was often so noisy. The only sound that could be heard was the whir of a small fan that sat in the corner. It was hot that day, so naturally the fan was on full blast.

The two of them seemed content to just sit there and listen to the fan drone on, but it was not long before the sound was interrupted by the noise of someone new entering the room. Both Gintoki and Kagura lazily glanced up to see who it was.

It turned out to be Shinpachi, and he gave both of his friends a smile as he walked in. "I just finished cleaning the house again, so you don't have to worry about it, Gin-san" he said positively.

"Thanks, Shinpachi," said Gintoki as he looked back down. He seemed to be really focused on the papers in front of him.

"Now everything should look nice for when the guests start arriving," said Shinpachi as he approached Gintoki's desk. "What are you looking at anyways?"

"Oh, it's just something for the wedding," he replied as he calmly put the papers down. "You see, it's-"

Kagura just tuned out Gintoki's words as she gave a small sigh. She then frowned as she closed her eyes. Do they have to talk about that again? she tiredly wondered to herself.

Over the past couple of weeks, Gintoki had been completely focused on putting together his upcoming wedding with Tsukuyo. There was a lot of work to be done for such a ceremony, and it had started to seem like the wedding was the only thing that people talked about anymore. It was not really surprising that simply hearing about it had started to get a little annoying.

However, that was not the only reason for why Kagura seemed to hold such distaste for the upcoming event. The truth was that Kagura actually didn't want the wedding to happen at all…

When Kagura had first heard that Gintoki and Tsukuyo were going to be married to each other, she was actually very happy for them. In fact, she was even excited for the upcoming ceremony, as were many others. However, it would seem that as time went on, Kagura started to realize some unsettling truths.

With the date of the wedding approaching nearer and nearer, Kagura soon realized that life was actually going to be much different afterwards. It was true; her life would definitely not be the same as it was before. Changes were coming, and Kagura wasn't quite sure if she liked that.

For one thing, Kagura assumed that Tsukuyo would probably end up living in the Odd Jobs building along with Gintoki and herself. And for some reason, the mere thought of Tsukuyo joining them actually made the girl upset. She had always liked that it had just been her and Gintoki before. It was something special shared between the two of them. But now, with the introduction of Tsukuyo, that would all be rearranged. It wouldn't just be the two of them anymore…

Another thing that Kagura feared was the unlikely possibility of Tsukuyo joining the Odd Jobs business as well. It had always consisted of Gintoki, Shinpachi, and herself. Once again, it just seemed like something special, and if Tsukuyo were to join in too, then the entire feeling of it might just end up ruined…

Kagura just sighed again as she stared up at the ceiling. I know I'm probably just being stupid about the whole thing…but I'm still worried. We've had a lot of fun up until now; I don't want anything to change. If I had my way, I think I'd just like to keep things like this forever…that is what would make me truly happy…

Kagura then looked off to the side as she continued thinking. But then again, maybe I'm just being selfish. I mean, this is supposed to be about Gin-chan and Tsukky finding happiness together. I don't want to get in the way of that just because I'm a little unhappy…

And it was for that reason that Kagura had refused to share any of these feelings with her friends. She had kept it all to herself, and had not bothered anyone with feelings that she felt might be considered "selfish complaints". However, it seemed like bottling up her thoughts had not made her feel any better, and with the passage of time, her feelings about the wedding had only grown worse. Even so, Kagura still tried to put on a happy face for the sake of her two friends.

At that moment, Kagura's thoughts suddenly came to a halt as somebody else entered the room. To everyone's surprise, it was Tsukuyo herself. Apparently, she no longer knocked when she came to the door. Ever since the couple had become engaged, Tsukuyo had simply started letting herself in. Oddly enough, that was just another small thing that got on Kagura's nerves.

"Hey everybody," said Tsukuyo with a smile. "I made it."

"Oh good, you're here," said Gintoki, giving her a smile in return.

"It's nice to see you, Tsukuyo-san," Shinpachi greeted her.

"Hey Tsukky," mumbled Kagura. Even though she tried her best, sometimes it was hard to completely hide her true feelings. It was fine, though, as nobody seemed to notice Kagura's dejected attitude.

At this point, Gintoki quietly got up from his desk before making his way over to Tsukuyo. He greeted her by giving her a small kiss, which she warmly welcomed.

"So, you say you have a surprise for me?" asked the courtesan.

"That's right," said Gintoki with a smile. "I'd like to show you something, and I want to do it right away. It's not here though, so we're going to have to walk a little ways before you get to see what it is."

"Fine by me," said Tsukuyo pleasantly.

"Let's go ahead and get going then," he told her. He then took a second to glance back at the two kids behind him. "Shinpachi, Kagura, why don't you guys come along too?"

"Really?" asked Shinpachi.

"Yeah, you're going to want to see this," he said with a light grin.

"Well, of course!" said Shinpachi cheerfully.

Kagura just glanced at Gintoki before she slowly sat up. "Uh, sure…" she said.

"Great, let's head out then," instructed Gintoki as he made his way for the door.

The others simply followed behind him, silently wondering to themselves where they could possibly be going…

After walking through a couple of streets, the group finally arrived at the one that they were looking for. "Here we are!" said Gintoki happily.

The group looked around. "What's the big deal about this place?" asked Kagura.

"Yeah, it seems like any old neighborhood," said Shinpachi.

"Well, there's something special about this one," said Gintoki as he continued walking. "You'll see."

Tsukuyo just remained silent as she followed along. Why would he have to drag me all the way out her for a surprise? she wondered to herself. I don't want to say anything, but the others are right. I don't see what's so special about this place. What does Gintoki have on his mind?

The group continued walking until Gintoki eventually came to a stop. He then looked back and gestured at the building behind him. "Well, this is it!" he said.

The others stared at it. "What is it?" asked Kagura.

"It looks like a house," said Shinpachi.

"That's because it is a house," said Gintoki with a smirk.

Tsukuyo silently glanced over the building. Indeed, it did appear to resemble a house. A new house, at that. The structure was made primarily out of wood, which had been painted white. The building was also of medium size, and it only had one floor. Nevertheless, it was still dotted with windows, and had a small stoop just below the front door. A small area of grass, effectively resembling a yard, surrounded the house.

After Tsukuyo was done gazing at it, she turned towards Gintoki. "Who does this house belong to?" she asked curiously.

At this point, Gintoki's smile grew slightly larger. "Us," he said quietly.

Tsukuyo wasn't quite sure if she had heard him right. "W-what?" she asked.

"This will be our new home," he said, gesturing at it again. "Once we are married, this is where I plan for us to live."

Kagura suddenly looked at the samurai with worry. W-what did he say…?

Tsukuyo was speechless. She glanced back and forth between the house and Gintoki. "Are…are you serious?" she asked weakly.

Gintoki nodded, still smiling.

"But…but this house looks new," she told him, as if that made his previous claims false.

"It is new," he told her.

"But, if that's the case," said Tsukuyo, looking back at the house again, "how did you even afford something like this?"

"S-she's right, Gin-san," Shinpachi chimed in. "You shouldn't be able to pay for something as nice as this!"

Gintoki simply ignored their comments about his poverty as he glanced up at the house himself. "Believe it or not, this house was completely free. I know a carpenter that owed me quite a bit of money for my help in the past. I told him I'd call it even if he built me something nice for me and my future wife. And, well, here's what he gave us."

"Wow, that was…convenient," said Shinpachi as he lowered his eyebrows. (Isn't it, though?)

Tsukuyo continued to gaze at the house in awe. "I…I can't believe this," she whispered to herself.

"It's nothing too special, really," said Gintoki as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "It's just a one floor building with two bedrooms, and all of the other stuff you would expect to find. It has a living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom…" he trailed off.

"Oh!" he shouted, suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, but it even has a small dojo-like room too. It's basically just a plain empty room, but it's supposed to be used for exercise and training. The carpenter told me that he figured I could get some use out of it. It's kind of cool, I guess…"

"Aren't you a little too lazy to get use out of something like that?" mumbled Shinpachi.

"Anyways," said Gintoki as he threw Shinpachi a dirty look, "I figured that this might be a nice place to move to once we're married. It will give us plenty of room, and privacy too…it will just be our special little place."

He then looked over to Tsukuyo with a small smile. "So, what do you think? Would you like to live here with me?"

Tsukuyo looked back at him with a small smile of her own. "Of course I would, Gintoki. It looks like a wonderful place for us."

"That's just what I wanted to hear…"

The next thing they knew, the couple was quietly sharing a kiss together, expressing their feelings of happiness and excitement for their future home.

When they eventually broke apart, Gintoki calmly stared at Tsukuyo. "Why don't you go ahead and check it out?" he asked, pointing back to the new house.

"I'd love to," said Tsukuyo, looking excited. She quickly started making her way for the door.

"I want to see it too!" shouted Shinpachi as he followed after her.

Gintoki just smiled as he watched the two of them go in. It was nice to see that his efforts to find a home for him and Tsukuyo had not gone unappreciated. Tsukuyo seemed to be happy, and so was he…

"Is this all for real?" asked a quiet voice from behind him.

Gintoki turned around to find Kagura still standing outside with him. Apparently, she had not gone in to check out the house along with the others. Gintoki just curiously stared at her for a moment. Something seemed off about the girl. She looked a little…depressed…

"What do you mean?" Gintoki asked her.

Kagura looked at him with a frown. "This…this house…are you really going to live here with Tsukky?"

"Well, that was the plan…" said Gintoki as he scratched the back of his head.

Kagura's frown grew bigger. "So then…we're not going to be living together anymore?"

"Nope, I'll be living here from now on," he explained patiently.

Kagura seemed a little distraught. She looked at the ground as she clenched her fists. "But wait, what about our business? What about Odd Jobs Gin? Are…are we not going to be doing that anymore…?"

Gintoki could hear the hint of fear in her voice. For some reason, he just gave a small chuckle before he looked back at her. "No, you don't have to worry about anything like that. The Odd Jobs business is the only thing we know how to do; we're not just about to abandon it. Even though I'll be living here, I will continue to operate the Odd Jobs business. That's a guarantee."

Kagura then gave him a look of confusion. "But, how is this all going to work? I mean, it just doesn't make any sense," she insisted.

Gintoki gave her a smile. "Well, believe it or not, I've already set up our future living arrangements with Gran. We agreed that even though I'll be living here, I'm still going to use the Odd Jobs building as our traditional headquarters."

Gintoki then paused as he pointed at Kagura. "As for you, Gran said that you're still allowed to live up there on your own. She even said that she'll offer us a discounted rent price for it, since it will just be you in there."

Kagura looked back down at the ground. "Oh…I see…"

Gintoki crossed his arms as he continued smiling at the girl. "You should be happy about this, you know? You'll get the place all to yourself. You can even move out of that closet and sleep in my room once I've moved out. You'll probably be a lot more comfortable in there. I'll bet you'll actually enjoy it."

Kagura continued to stare at the ground. "Yeah, I guess so…" she mumbled.

Silence fell between them after that. Gintoki didn't really have anything else to say, so he turned back towards the house. "I'm going to go check on the others," he told Kagura. "You should come on in too."

And with that, Gintoki left the girl alone as he entered the house. Kagura didn't even watch him leave. She just kept staring at the ground. Eventually, she closed her eyes and clenched her fists as hard as she could.

I…I hate this! she cried in her head.

Kagura then released her grip and slowly opened her eyes. Her shoulders sagged a little bit.

I can't believe it…Gin-chan won't be living with me anymore. And I'm…I'm going to be left all by myself in that house…

Kagura then let out a sigh. I don't want the place to myself. I don't want to move out of my closet. I don't want Gin-chan to leave! None of this is making me happy! I am not enjoying it at all!

Kagura dismally looked up at the house in front of her. Why did this have to happen? Why can't things just stay the same as they always have? Why does Gin-chan have to move out? Why does he have to get married to Tsukky? I hate all of these new changes…I just want my life to go back to normal. This stupid marriage is ruining everything…

"Hey, Kagura-chan!" called Shinpachi from inside the house. "Where are you? You should come inside and check this place out!"

Kagura suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. "R-right. I'm coming!" she called back.

"Hurry up!" came the reply. It didn't seem like Shinpachi was saddened by this surprise in the slightest.

Kagura just frowned once more as she slowly made her way towards the house. I guess my opinion doesn't really matter. Whether I like it or not, this wedding is going to happen, and there's nothing I can do to stop the changes that come with it…

Across the street, standing in an alley between two houses, a man silently watched as Kagura entered the new building. It would seem that unbeknownst to the group, they were carefully being watched by this man…

As it turns out, he was a scout. He was a spy that had been sent to keep an eye on the group, and right now he was cautiously searching for the unique information that his superiors had requested.

Hmm…thought the man. That girl seems like the perfect target to fulfill Takechi-san's requirements. She seems a little distant, and relatively unhappy with the others. That's exactly what we're looking for…

Without making a sound, the man then jumped out of the alleyway and landed on a rooftop. He then dashed from building to building as fast as he could.

I need to get this information back to the Kiheitai as soon as possible…Takasugi-san will be delighted to hear this!

Well, this was one of the shorter chapters I've written in a while. Hmm, then again, weren't the last two kind of short? Oh, whatever XD I could have put more in, but we'll just save that for next time, shall we?

Anyways, it has come to my attention that I need to explain something about my story that is kind of important! It's about where my story takes place in the Gintama timeline. Why? Well, because anyone who has read the manga knows that my story and the current arcs in Gintama simply don't match up! So…what's the deal?

Please allow me to explain. Basically, my story takes place in what I guess would be an alternate universe setting. Well, it might not be entirely correct to say that. In truth, my story just takes place in the typical day to day Gintama universe like the majority of the series does. The only real difference I would have to point out would have to be that my story takes place in a timeline where the Shogun Assassination Arc never happens, or any of the others arcs that follow that. It's just your plain old daily Gintama story!

However, if I had to find an exact place for my story, I'd say it fits sometime after the Love Potion Arc. After that, Silver Moon just turns into its own thing :)

But yeah, that's that. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if it doesn't! Anyways, please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on this (uneventful) chapter! XD I'd really appreciate it! Thanks, see ya later!