"Why does love make you do stupid things?" She asked him.

"I don't know, you tell me." He countered.

"My my, Gin-san. I'm not the one who's wounded right now."

"Don't make me kiss you again, Otae."

Three connected stories on moments where their hearts raced and their feelings blossomed.

-/-

Sugar and Insecurities

-/-

She was insecure.

Otae tsked herself as she stared at the mirror in front of her. Eyes pointedly looking at her chest. They weren't that small but they weren't that big either.

"SHIMURA TAE WHY ARE YOU GETTING WORKED UP OVER THIS!" She screamed in frustration. Thankfully her younger brother wasn't in the house or else he would've been worried about her.

Otae went out of the bathroom in anger and began doing laundry. She started to smack the heck out of the clothes with a stick while thinking about him.

"That lazy perm head samurai!" Otae raged every word with every hit.

Otae was not one to get insecure over silly little things such as appearances and looks but when she saw Sakata Gintoki and that ninja clinging unto him she was... She was... sad?

She wasn't angry at the moment because Gintoki was hanging out with other women, she was mad because she felt sad when she saw him with someone else and that confuses her.

After the grueling hours for the poor beaten yet clean clothes, they're now finally hanged on the yard and Otae settled on the porch staring at her work. Her boiling anger now simmered and died down to calmness and exhaustion.

She wondered a lot why she was sulking when she saw Gintoki walking with Sa-chan together. And as she stared from the smooth waves of the hanged blankets blown by the wind and to the blazing sun she realized she wasn't sad to see Gintoki with another person.

She was scared. Scared when she realized that time will come they would go their separate ways and he will end up with someone else.

"Oh god, why would I even care." Otae sighed as she put her hand over her face in frustration.

Otae might not admit it but these past months since she first met him, he became this stable rock that she could hold on to. It wasn't as if she was in trouble that she would go to Gintoki immediately, no it wasn't like that. Gintoki was her rock, a reminder that when things go awry, when life gets frustrating and when situations go hard or wrong, there's this one person that she could lean on to and it reassures her for sure, that this too shall come to pass.

These past years ever since her father died, she had to be strong. Not only for Shinpachi's sake but for hers as well for she was afraid, she was so afraid that one slip of tears and a moment of defeat would destroy her. And she didn't want her younger brother to ever see her like that.

But it happened when months ago she let herself be taken to a brothel. She gave up yet at the same time she was still fighting. All she wanted was for her brother to live a life without troubles, that was all she prayed and so she fell into the deep dark abyss of no return yet for some reason she was saved...

Gintoki caught her like it was nothing, and the relief in her eyes was evident as she embraced her younger brother right before getting scolded by him.

From then on her respect for Gintoki grew and she pushed her younger brother to learn from him the way of the samurai. But at the same time, Otae wants to be a part of the man's life too.

Sakata Gintoki was truly something.

As Otae's thoughts run deep, she haven't noticed the sound of the shoji door being opened. And with powerful footsteps approaching, a man settled beside her on the porch.

Gintoki sat there for a few minutes looking over the view then at her, why is this woman so quiet today, he thought. "Oi."

Otae was startled for a moment and turned to him then looked away trying to avoid Gintoki's dead fish eyes, "What are you doing here again, Gin-san?"

"Nothing. I got bored." Gintoki simply said and lean back with his hands supporting him from the floor.

Otae could only shake her head for she knew the main reason why Gintoki comes by is to steal some of the sugar from the pantry.

Of course it's Gin-san, she thought with a smile, "I wish this never changes."

"Huh?" Gintoki gave her a confused look, "I thought you don't want me stealing your food anymore?"

"Oh so you've been stealing again?" Otae cracked her knuckles and Gintoki shook his head furiously to calm the woman down.

"Anyways," Otae cleared her throat, "what I meant is that I hope you'd never stop visiting. This place needs a fresh presence from time to time, looking at it now, it's getting tired of me already."

Gintoki let out a tsk, "I don't come here to visit, woman, I just want the su-." Gintoki stopped himself seeing Otae raised her fist, "su-su-sunrise!"

"It's close to afternoon, Gin-san." Otae said.

"Is that why you're quiet today? Worried I might steal the su-sunrise again?" Gintoki asked.

"I'm more worried about you not stopping by anymore." Otae's words seemed to have an effect on Gintoki as he stared directly at her.

"Don't worry much," Gintoki muttered, "even if you beat me up I'll still continue stealing your stuff."

Lub dub.

Otae smiled and turned to finally looked at him, "looks like I'm going to have to stack up in supplies then."

Gintoki's eyes showed disbelief for a split second before grinning, "Want some company to the grocery?"

"Mhm, let me just go get my purse and umbrella." Otae stood up and walked inside.

And as she strolled down the streets of Edo beside the man she admired the most, she felt reassured.

When the two finally got back home with bags of groceries in Gintoki's hands, Otae started unloading and arranging them in the pantry shooing the hazardous man away from the task.

Just as she was about to place a newly bought jar of sugar inside the cabinet she almost dropped it in surprise.

Lub dub.

For there hidden in the far corner of the cabinet was a telltale jar of sugar, still intact and full despite claims of having been consumed.

What an idiot. Otae shook her head and smiled at the man whose eyes were glued on the TV.

I'm not going to leave his side just yet.