CHAPTER 2 - When You Think Your Day Can't Get Any Worse, It Does
"So, you're telling me you need protection?"
Gintoki was taken aback with the person sitting across from him.
It had all started with Shounen Jump.
It was recycle day, as he was kindly reminded by Shinpachi when he stepped out of the bedroom with his hair sticking in every possible direction. "Gin-san! Please get rid of all this trash! What will our customers think when they step into a place like this?" Shinpachi was already armed with a broom and a thunderous voice. Though, even when shouting, he meticulously tidied up around him.
Gintoki sighed and stuck a finger in his ear. "You think the kind of people that end up here care about the looks of this place?" He complained but started picking the magazines from the floor under Shinpachi's murderous stare.
They soon became confetti as Sadaharu crashed into him.
"What is it, you damn - " Gintoki huffed in anger beneath his fluffy fur. Sadaharu whimpered and started barking. "Shinpachi, where is that dog-translator thing?"
Shinpachi was still diligently dusting the shelves and ignoring the ruckus behind him. "We threw that away long ago, Gin-san. I never want to hear such depressing things again", he gloomily remembered, his glasses misting up with tears.
"Ugh, then what do you want!? Get off, Sadaharu, I'm suffocating - ugh", Gintoki was fighting tooth and nail against Sadaharu's cuddles (python grip).
"Ah, right. Kagura-chan went out earlier and she told me to take Sadaharu out for a walk. But he didn't even budge", Shinpachi pondered. "Maybe he waited for you? Hm, but that doesn't make sense. Did his old chew toy break?"
"How dare you degrade a main character to a chew toy? I should at least be one of those fancy ball-throwing sticks", Gintoki grunted as he pushed Sadaharu off. He quickly put his hands on his head to protect - hm, to brush and tidy his unruly curls a bit. He turned to Sadaharu with crossed arms ready to scold him.
Ugh. This isn't fair.
Sadaharu was giving him his best puppy stare. The one where he was even willing to feed him the cheapest premium dog food there was.
It was the same stare he had given him when he returned home a week ago, after his night out. Gintoki had been stunned to find Sadaharu out on the street, lying down with his tail wistfully sweeping at the ground. It was barely dawn and his eyes were closed, but as soon as he sniffed out Gintoki's scent, his ears perked up and he stood with a happy yip.
And then knocked him on the ground as usual.
After biting and licking and stomping on Gintoki with his cute but heavy paws, he finally let him catch a breath.
First an old hag, a robot maid, then a gluttonous brat and now an oversized flea bag? Exactly how much of the Gintama cast is gonna have access to my thoughts? Where is the mystery, the suspense?
Gintoki got up and dusted himself off. He raised his hand and patted Sadaharu's fluffy head. "Hm. You'll catch a cold sleeping outside, stupid." The tips of his ears reddened.
He heard the sweeping sound of a broom and froze.
"Gintoki-sama, dogs cannot catch colds the same way humans do. However - "
"Stop!" Gintoki interrupted Tama before the blush spread all over his face. "Stop", he repeated weakly. Why is Tama obsessed with sweeping the street all the time? Go do something else, okay? Gin-san will give you premium oil so, erase this from your drive, okay?
Sadaharu woofed and bit Gintoki's hand.
"AAAAAAA LET GO, YOU - "
The doors of the bar flew open. "OI, YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHINGS! STOP YELLING!"
"YOU ARE THE ONE YELLING, OTOSE-SAMA!" Tama chimed in the same manner.
Before Gintoki could even say anything, multiple shouts rang out on the street.
"SHUT UP!"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THIS UNGODLY HOUR!"
"WHAT, WANNA FIGHT!?"
The residents hurled insults and threats at each other through their windows, getting louder and louder. And soon enough, a peaceful spring dawn turned into a screaming contest.
Gintoki stared at his hand in Sadaharu's mouth and remembered that there really wasn't a place for such a rowdy bunch anywhere but in Kabukicho. He felt a warm and mushy feeling spread in his chest. Sadaharu looked him in the eyes, his own shining brightly. He then let go of his hand, cheerfully barked and bit his silvery head.
And then everything became red. The end.
"Now that we're done with the flashback since he was barely included in the last chapter, will you take Sadaharu out on a walk, Gin-san?" Shinpachi deadpanned.
"Fine! It's always like this. Get a dog, they say. We'll take care of them. And look what happens? Gin-san is always the one scooping poop." Gintoki struggled putting the leash on Sadaharu, not that it really had any use. Far from it - Gintoki was the one being dragged around. He crouched to get his shoes as Sadaharu jumped on his back and barked excitedly. "At least let me put on my boots, you mutt!"
Sadaharu didn't listen. He became even more of a (fluffy) disaster.
Just as Gintoki opened the front door, Sadaharu pushed him with the full force of a dog that really needed to pee. A car sized dog at that. Gintoki almost flew through the door frame and over the balcony but stopped himself in time.
Until his foot caught on something.
Even with his boots on, he could hear the bones in his toes cracking. But that wasn't the end. He tripped over the metal object on the floor and continued forward. The wooden balcony railing hit him in the chest and this time he felt his ribs crack. Yet that only served as a pivot as he flew over the railing and onto the ground below.
Sadaharu curiously sniffed the object on the floor that Gintoki had tripped on before running after him. "Waf!" His tail wagged as he sat on the ground, obediently waiting for Gintoki to get up and take him to relieve himself.
"Gin-san, what happened - " Shinpachi went out to investigate the commotion. "AGH! Are you okay!?"
"Ugh, I have some broken bones", Gintoki started explaining. "But I'll live - "
"Not you, Gin-san!" Shinpachi interrupted him. "Here, let me help you..."
Gintoki started fuming. "Oi! Is that how you treat your elders! I almost broke my neck just now!" Although he was hurt all over, he swiftly stood up to yell at the top of his lungs. He then remembered the commotion he caused a week ago and lowered his voice. "Who are you talking to, then?" Did Shinpachi finally go crazy? Is he at the age where he's talking to himself?
Shinpachi ignored him and went back inside, closing the door behind him with a loud thud.
"Ha!" Gintoki dusted himself off and turned towards Sadaharu. "Can you believe that brat!?"
Sadaharu was busy with other matters. Like squatting down and whimpering. "Oh, no you don't!" Gintoki shouted, but it was too late. Sadaharu, in fact, did.
After an hour, they'd returned home. Sadaharu full of energy and giddy, and Gintoki drained of all of his and hollow. Kagura and Sadaharu really were the perfect pair. There was no human alive who could keep up with them. Though Gintoki really did try his best.
"We're home", Gintoki groaned. Sadaharu stopped for a bit and sniffed the air before running into the living room. Soon, a metal clang rang out. And a surprised yell. "Yep. Not my problem." Gintoki turned on his heel and was one foot out the door before he felt an iron grip on his shoulder.
"Gin-san", Shinpachi hissed. "You just came back, why don't you meet our guest? And help out with Sadaharu so that we actually have a guest left?"
Where did the well-mannered brat from two years ago disappear to? Or was he always like this? Gintoki felt sweat pour down his back. "Hm, well, Gin-san was just about to buy some snacks for them", he nervously stuttered. He didn't want to start a fight with Shinpachi, not over something like this, so he'd gladly play the fool.
"We have everything we need, so please listen to their request." Shinpachi ushered the unwilling Gintoki in the living room. Sadaharu was by now obediently sitting next to the customer, as if he didn't cause a commotion earlier. Shinpachi pushed Gintoki on the couch and sat next to him. "This is our honored customer, Aya-san." He introduced the person sitting on the couch across from Gintoki.
Gintoki squinted at them. He just now realized that they were sitting in almost complete darkness. "What am I looking at, the depths of despair? Patsuan, did Otsu finally tell you how she feels about you fanboys?"
"Otsu-chan would never hurt us like that!" Shinpachi yelled with fervor, his glasses melting from the passionate flames in his eyes. Shinpachi coughed and continued in a nagging tone. "Aya-san is sensitive. I closed the blinds for them."
"Hm", Gintoki hummed skeptically. "And what, you couldn't turn on the lights? Are we playing hide and seek?" He turned to their guest who had been sitting in silence and dark all this time. "Are you that sensitive?"
"It's true! I found them lying unconscious outside our door! As soon as we went inside, Aya-san complained about it being too bright, so I switched off the lights", Shinpachi clarified. "Isn't that right, Aya-san?" He turned to the person in question.
"Um", a gentle voice, accompanied by a metallic vibration, answered. "I referred to the brightness of the sun, not the brightness in general. I thank you for your attentiveness, Shimura-kun."
Shinpachi was stunned into silence. Gintoki looked at him and then at the dim figure and said: "Aha, you've been sitting in the dark for an hour?"
"I apologize, Shimura-kun", the guest said with a voice full of anguish. "It was not my intention to deceive you. I assumed the covering on your eyes was for protection purposes and that you cannot stand bright light. May I ask, are they a fashion choice?"
Gintoki chuckled. "Oi, glasses aren't the fashion choice, the rest of the body is", he explained matter-of-factly. Teasing Shinpachi never got old for him.
"I see. What an interesting species. Thank you for your clarification, Yorozuya-san", the guest was astonished. "An intelligent parasite that dons a human apparatus. Earth truly is a compelling planet."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Aya-san?" Shinpachi sighed in defeat and got up from his seat. "Please don't listen to Gin-san. I will turn on the lights now since everyone's okay with it."
True to his words, in the next moment the room lit up.
Gintoki could finally see the person that soft voice belongs to. The only problem is, he still couldn't quite make out what their customer really looked like. That's because they were clad in metal armor, from head to toe. And it wasn't the close-fitting kind, but the burly and rigid one, the one that knights in the Middle Ages wore. The only thing missing was the plume. And a horse.
"Wait, you were the thing that almost killed me?" Gintoki at long last connected the dots. "That wasn't enough for you? You came here to torture Patsuan as well?"
"As I've said, Gin-san," Shinpachi interrupted, "Aya-san is a customer with a request. Please, continue, Aya-san."
The metal clanged as Aya nodded. "You have my gratitude, Yorozuya-san, for allowing me to put in my request." After making a small bow, Aya reached for their helmet and removed it. It revealed a beautiful and ethereal face underneath, with eyes as shiny as molten gold and skin as lustrous as ebony. Though, what struck a chord in Gintoki was a wistful expression on their face as Aya's gaze held his. It made his heart heavy for a split second.
Sadaharu barked and pulled Gintoki out of his daze.
"So, I'm gonna guess you're not from around here." Gintoki relaxed into the couch and looked towards Shinpachi for more information, but both he and Aya remained silent. "Oi, what's the matter?"
Shinpachi was in a state of shock, mouth fully agape and eyes focused on Aya. Right, he's still a kid after all.
"How did you arrive upon that conclusion?" Aya broke the silence. "Sakata Gintoki-san." Hm. That was the first time their customer had said his name. It felt... weird.
"Anyone that describes Shinpachi as a human-wearing glasses parasite before a cherry boy is an Amanto in my book", Gintoki answered cheekily. It immediately broke Shinpachi out of his stupor. Before he could complain about the way his whole existence was described, Gintoki continued: "So, what brings a sun-allergic Amanto to a planet as sunny as Earth?"
"A grand celebration is to take place in Edo in three weeks", Aya answered ignoring Gintoki's comment and petting Sadaharu's head. Surprisingly, he didn't try to bite their head off. "It consists of a series of performances, and I take part in the main and last one - the Lunar Aria. I would like to employ you as my security detail."
Gintoki ruffled his silvery locks. He did remember hearing something about empires and celebrations, but he always considered it less important than a certain tv drama. Besides, politics really wasn't his thing. Though, he was aware that it was a strange thing to think as a former member of the legendary Joui Four. "So, you're telling me you need protection? Is that hunk of metal not enough?" He eyed the armor suspiciously and grumbled: "Who is after you, Godzilla?"
"Of course, we would be happy to help, Aya-san", Shinpachi hurriedly cut in and gave Gintoki an exasperated glance. "So, you're an opera singer? I look forward to your concert!"
Aya frowned and gave him a confused look. "I am a dancer, not a singer."
"Oh", Shinpachi was taken aback. "Well, I must've heard the performance name wrong - "
"I had no part in naming the performance", Aya said calmly. "I do know I will dance, not sing. After all," they cleared their throat before continuing with a gentle tone, "I've gotten rid of all my competition. I only have but one goal in mind - to deliver a perfect performance."
"Hey, you just said something that doesn't fit your character design", Gintoki sputtered. "What did you do? No, don't answer that. Gin-san will pretend he didn't hear anything." OIIIIIIIIIII. Is it the yakuza? The mafia? I don't wanna wake up with a bloody surprise in my futon! "If your competition's gone, what do we have to protect you from? The dead - "
G... Gh... Ghosts...
I might as well not wake up tomorrow.
"Gin-san, you're overreacting", Shinpachi nagged and turned back towards their guest. "You're saying that all we have to do is act as your bodyguards? It isn't our first time doing this, so you have nothing to worry about! We'll accept your request", he said, ignoring the terrified Gintoki pulling at his sleeve. "Besides Gin-san, Sadaharu and me, there's actually one more person you have to meet - "
"STOP FOLLOWING ME!"
A thunderous yell echoed throughout the house.
Soon after a black object was flung into the air.
Gintoki swiftly scooped up the snacks and the tea from the table before it exploded into bits of wood. It had met its end too soon at the hands of none other than Kagura. The thing that was thrown at it was clad in a black police uniform with a murderous glare tinted with red staring back at its attacker. "Oi, Gorilla, is your brain made of sukonbu? I'll make sure it rots in prison", Sougo said as he stood up, his hand gripping the handle of his sword.
"Is destroying personal property not enough for you, Soichiro-kun?" Gintoki drawled, standing up to put the snacks away. "You have to threaten innocent citizens, too?"
Kagura grinned proudly and started boasting: "That's right, Gin-chan! They were being really creepy, sneaking around our house, so I gave them a good kick to their - "
Gintoki put a hand over her mouth before she could finish her sentence. Sougo was staring daggers at her, ready to act on his threat. "I'll just send the bill to your address", he said as he pushed the corners of his mouth into a welcoming smile, all while dodging Kagura's flailing hands. "What's your business with the Yorozuya Gin-chan, you tax thie... officers?" I'll definitely get them to pay for that table. Double, no, triple the amount.
As if he sensed Gintoki's thoughts, Hijikata stepped into the main office of the Yorozuya headquarters. Gintoki was ready to haggle over the amount of money he should get for the broken table (he was planning to include reparation for emotional damages as well) but Hijikata had beaten him to it. He took out a wallet from his jacket and pulled out a wad of cash.
Hey, this is no joke. I could get a thousand Limited Edition Strawberry Ice Cream Deluxe Spring Surprise I'm Glad You Came Back Son parfaits with this!
Before Hijikata could even say a word, the money had evaporated from his hand. It was on the verge of being torn to shreds by the blood-thirsty Odd Jobs. Gintoki wasn't about to lose his one way ticket to heaven because of sukonbu and Otsu merch. This was a matter of life and death. He made eye contact with Sadaharu. Hey, I'll buy you anything from that magazine you've been looking at if you help me out, he bribed him telepathically.
And Sadaharu did not disappoint.
Shrieks of terror erupted behind Hijikata as the white furball joined the fray. He decided to ignore their scuffle and turned to pointedly look at Sougo. "Can't you do your job properly for once?" Though his voice was steady, Hijikata's expression was strained. Gintoki wondered if there was a cigarette ban in place again, because what else could cause the Demon Vice-Commander to make that kind of face? Those thoughts were quickly and utterly squished under Sadaharu's paws.
"Hijikata-bastard, if I did my job properly, I would've made Vice-Commander already", Sougo answered with a smug smile and started eating the snacks that Gintoki had put away. Gintoki had a feeling that both he and Hijikata just wanted to smack that bag out of his hands.
Hijikata was about to retort but Gintoki interrupted: "We're in the middle of something here, so if uninvited guests could leave..." He waved at the door with a crinkled stack of bills. Honestly, Gintoki just wanted the whole thing over as soon as possible. There were parfaits, pachinko machines and gambling with Hasegawa waiting for him out there.
Kagura and Shinpachi were sitting on the couch with sour expressions on their faces after their lost battle. Only after hearing Gintoki did the intrusive trio realize there was a person present that they'd never seen before. "Oh!" Kagura let out a surprised gasp. "If only this idiot moved out of the way quicker, I would've noticed you sooner", she grumbled and stared daggers at Sougo who was on his second bag of snacks.
"I'm used to sitting still and waiting", Aya graciously answered. Gintoki had no doubt that was the truth. Ever since he had stepped into the house, he couldn't feel Aya's presence. Like they have turned into stone itself. And not many people had an ability to escape Gintoki's perception.
Before he could ponder any further on the yet mysterious person in front of him, Shinpachi introduced Kagura to Aya as the third Yorozuya member in charge of their protection. As the three of them engaged in conversation, Hijikata approached Gintoki and lightly touched his forearm. "Let's go outside", he whispered in his ear and took off, not giving Gintoki a chance to refuse.
Any other day, Gintoki would've sent him flying with a kick. Or he would've at least complained, loudly and obnoxiously. However, ever since Hijikata showed his stately mug in the office, he had an anxious air around him. Even Gintoki wasn't heartless enough to kick a police dog while he was down. Instead, he just sighed and obediently followed him outside.
He stepped outside and almost slid the door shut in Sougo's face. "Danna, you holding a grudge over a bag of snacks?" Sougo complained and shut the door behind him. It was two bags, Soichiro-kun.
"Can we just get to the point? Some of us have actual jobs, you know", Gintoki griped and was about to lean on the railing, but the hellish memory of the morning resurfaced in his mind. He opted for crossing his arms across his chest and huffing in annoyance. That annoyance grew into exasperation when he noticed Hijikata staring at him. "Well, now I know how you spend our hard-earned money."
"Ain't no way you're paying your taxes", Hijikata said whilst playing with his lighter. Gintoki guessed it had finally appeased his anxiety because there was a hint of a smile on his face. Not that Gintoki cared about this bastard's smiles and whatnot. "We can't talk here", he continued. "Too many ears. The bar's empty at this time of day, right? Let's go." Hijikata and Sougo continued downstairs. At this point Gintoki felt like he was in Hansel and Gretel, following a trail of messy crumbs that those two left behind.
As Hijikata said, the bar was indeed empty, with the exception being its owner. Otose was at her usual spot wiping a glass with a scowl on her face. She looked up when the trio entered and her frown smoothed into a gentle expression at the sight of Gintoki. Otose and gentle aren't two words that should go together. "Oi, baba, you're seriously creeping me out with that", Gintoki shivered. That was something she started doing a week ago and he still couldn't get used to it. Apparently, neither could Otose because that scowl returned to her face in a flash.
Before she could say (or throw) anything, Gintoki ducked down into one of the booths in the back of the bar, dragging Hijikata and Sougo along with him. "Will you two finally tell me what's going on?"
Sougo sat next to Gintoki while Hijikata pushed him away and sat at the farthest possible distance from him. He pulled a cigarette from the box and was about to light it up. Man, he's carrying the entire tobacco industry on his shoulders. Gintoki wondered how it was even possible to be such a good swordsman with lungs like his. "You got a problem with my smoking?" Hijikata questioned him and made him lose his train of thought. His lighter was lit, ready to ignite the cigarette.
Gintoki wanted to tell him that he doesn't really mind, but Hijikata had already put both lighter and cigarette back in his pocket with a heavy sigh. "Do you know that you're being followed?" He asked with annoyance straining his voice.
Gintoki was stunned for a second. He turned to Sougo to check whether Hijikata was joking, but he had a similar expression on his face. "No", Gintoki answered carefully. "Wait, you're not talking about Sarutobi, right?" At this point she might as well be a part of his household, along with Hasegawa.
Hijikata shook his head. "It's not her. It's this guy", he reached into his inner pocket and fished out a blurry photograph.
Gintoki took it from him and squinted at it. "Oi, this guy looks like half the guys in Kabukicho", he grumbled and threw the photo on the table between them. "I couldn't tell you if I've seen him or not. But why does it matter? Is he involved in something else? How did you even catch him?"
"Danna, slow down with the questions", Sougo drawled, leaning against the backrest of the couch. "Yamazaki's quite a capable guy, even though he doesn't look like it. He spotted him lurking around this whole week. You didn't get involved in anything suspicious, right, danna? Well, more suspicious than usual", he snickered.
"I'm surprised you held back and didn't blast him to smithereens", Gintoki jabbed him back. He honestly couldn't picture the Shinsengumi conducting an investigation without something blowing up or going terribly wrong. "What was Yamazaki doing snooping around my house?" He didn't miss the fact that Yamazaki was there on someone's orders. And also that the guy they were after coincidentally showed up when he finished his... dance. Ugh. There's no way I'm talking about that. It's not illegal, is it!? "And no, I'm not involved in anything suspicious."
Hijikata let out a dry laugh. Gintoki shot him a dirty look and said: "So, this guy is going after me or something? Just tell me where his hideout is and I'll go have a nice chat with him." He was ready to go out there right now and settle this. Just a few swings of his bokuto and all his problems would be solved, and no one else would be involved. It wouldn't have stressed him out this much if he were alone like before.
But he wasn't.
He felt the nightmare from what seemed like an eternity ago claw its way back into his mind. It seemed so vivid. How could he have forgotten? He winced in pain and held his head with one hand. I need a drink. Or maybe these two can knock me out. He was tempted to provoke them to fight but decided against it. He wasn't a lunatic like them. At least he hoped he wasn't.
"Gintoki", Hijikata called out to him. Just like before, his expression looked tense. "We'll fix this. We told you this so that you could keep an eye out, not to do anything. It's our job to deal with this", he finished and got ready to get up, but before he could do so, Gintoki pulled him by his arm and forced him to sit back down. Hijikata's eyes widened as he stared back into Gintoki's furious ones, their faces inches apart. His gaze flickered downwards before returning to his maroon eyes.
"Tell me", Gintoki's voice echoed through the bar laced with threat. "Right now."
Sougo sighed nonchalantly next to him, but Gintoki felt he wasn't as calm as he let on. He was only pretending to be. "Danna, I don't wanna agree with Hijikata-bastard on anything, but leave that guy to us. This isn't a matter Yorozuya can handle."
Thanks, Soichiro-kun. That doesn't sound worrying at all.
Gintoki reluctantly let go of Hijikata's arm. Hijikata's other hand briefly went to the spot he held and Gintoki was concerned that maybe he gripped it too tightly. "Fine. I won't do anything for now. Just tell me what you know about the guy. My list of enemies is quite long, and I'd like to at least have the general idea of who I'm up against."
Hijikata and Sougo exchanged a look and communicated something between them. No matter how much they fought, it seemed they knew each other just as much. Hijikata looked at Gintoki and groaned in defeat. "You know there's going to be a parade and festivities held three weeks from now? For the Empire and its delegation."
Again with this. I really hope it rains that day. "I've heard. What about it?"
Sougo continued in Hijikata's stead: "We're tasked with protecting the envoy and his crew. There's one main guy and a bunch of his servants or whatever. We've gotta make sure nothing happens during their stay, danna. Not even someone looking at them wrong. The thing is, some of them have been acting strange. And one of those weirdos is that guy in the picture."
Gintoki was grateful that they were sharing information with him like this. He felt the painful headache subside and worrisome thoughts go away. Now he knew where he stood and who he was dealing with. However, he didn't understand why. "Hm. You think those guys are acting independently or on someone's orders? Because as far as I can remember, I've never dealt with the Empire."
"That's what we have to figure out", Hijikata said and reached in his jacket pocket before changing his mind. He squeezed the back of his neck instead and continued: "If it turns out it's just them acting on their own, we'll lock 'em up and be done with it. But if not... The situation becomes complicated. We can't go against the Empire. Not openly like this."
Since when did this Empire gain so much influence on Earth? Gintoki regretted not being as involved as he should've been. Maybe he should have paid more attention to what Zura was saying when he started going on his rebel spiel...
"Okay", Gintoki said and stood up. He had a general idea as to what his next move would be. "I'll keep my eyes peeled. If I find out anything, I'll tell you. You do the same, got it?" Since he was in a good mood, he added something that he'd regret later: "I owe ya one."
He left the bar, not realizing that a pair of metallic blue eyes followed him outside, filled with worry and an indescribable emotion.
"Gin-chan! Aya's the same as me!" Kagura exclaimed as soon as he stepped into the room. Apparently, their guest was still here. Gintoki held onto sliver of a hope that they'd be gone by now and that he'd be free to waste... Spend his hard-earned money. Kagura went on, "Aya can't stand the sun and they're super strong. And also very pretty!"
His eyes darted from Aya to Kagura and back. Gintoki swore never to comment on Kagura's appearance again after what happened last time, not even in jest, so he held back and said: "Is that so? You got acquainted with each other already?" All he knew about their contractor was that they're a dancer. And that they can sit still for a long time.
He turned towards Aya. "By the way, where're you staying right now? We'll have to guard you 24/7 so it would be best if we stick together until these few weeks are up", Gintoki said. "If you don't have a place, you can crash here, but it's gonna cost you extra."
"Actually, Gin-san, we already agreed that Aya-san will move in with me and my sister", Shinpachi interjected. "Sis also said yes, so we're going to my house now to meet up with her. And Aya-san said we don't have to act as bodyguards all the time, just when they practice." Aya nodded in confirmation. Gintoki was surprised by this, because they made it seem like gates of hell were about to be opened and all the demons would've gone after them. I guess not?
Gintoki crossed his arms and frowned. "Why do you think they're not gonna come after you between practice? You'd be putting Shinpachi's sister in danger that way", he explained. It didn't sit right with him.
"I'll be staying with them, Gin-chan", Kagura cheerfully said. Gintoki guessed she was so happy because she won't sleep in a closet for a while. "And Sadaharu is coming with us, aren't you?" Sadaharu happily barked and threw himself on Kagura. As always, she utilized her monstrous strength and caught him in her arms and buried her face in his fur. "Besides, as I said before, Aya is really strong! Who could handle the four of us at the same time?"
"That's right, Gin-san. So please don't worry about anything. Just show up during practice", Shinpachi said proudly, fixing up his glasses on his nose.
"Oi, four-eyes, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Anego."
"HEY!"
This worked out great. If I'm the one that guys after, he won't be coming after them. But if he isn't after me... Gintoki made a mental note to make the call to the Shinsengumi HQ later in the day, and make an appointment to meet a certain long-haired rebel. "Fine. Just let me know when you'll be going to practice and I'll tag along."
Kagura and Shinpachi stopped bickering to give him incredulous looks. "Gin-chan, does your head hurt? Why do you wanna work all of a sudden?"
"You little - "
They both erupted in laughter as Gintoki started chasing them around. Gintoki stubbed his toes a few times on Aya's metal armor, causing the other two to laugh even more. Sadaharu put the end to the chase when he sat on Gintoki threatening him with a low growl. "Ugh, I didn't forget! I'll visit the pet shop tomorrow so just - guh."
Don't smile don't smile don't smile
It was this sense of normalcy that brought Gintoki the most joy. Knowing that no matter what happened, he always had a place he could come back to. A place he could call home. All his worries and troubles seemed so small in the bright and warm light of the Yorozuya office. He didn't forget them. But he also didn't despair.
And as the four of them wreaked havoc, Aya gazed at them from the couch, clutching the cup of tea in their hands. If someone were to pay closer attention, they could've seen the liquid inside rippling, ever so slightly.