Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 7

Shinpachi walked down the street towards the building where he worked. He was walking rather quickly, hoping he could make it there as soon as possible. He was coming back late from a job that Gintoki and Kagura had left him in charge of. They had both been helping Shinpachi earlier, but they ended up going home and leaving him alone to finish the job by himself.

The reason Shinpachi was in a hurry was because it was Friday evening. He was still suspicious of Gintoki possibly being on a date and he wanted to find out if his suspicions were true. If he were too late, he would miss his opportunity to catch Gintoki sneaking away. He wanted to confront him about it as soon as possible.

Shinpachi made it to the building and quickly climbed the stairs that led to the second floor. He opened the door and made his way into the office/living room. To his dismay, the only people in the room were Kagura and Sadaharu. Kagura was sitting quietly on the couch while Sadaharu was sleeping in one of the corners.

The young girl looked up once she noticed that Shinpachi had entered the room. "Oh, you're back huh?" she asked casually.

Shinpachi was looking around the room, hoping Gintoki was still there. "Yeah, I finished the job. Where is Gin-san at?" he asked.

Kagura let out a puff of air. "He disappeared a little while ago."

"Did he say where he was going?" he asked, wondering if Gintoki had left an excuse.

"Nope, he left without an explanation. AGAIN," said Kagura, sounding slightly annoyed. "I mean, seriously, is he going to just keep running off without telling us where he's going?"

Shinpachi just let out a sigh to let Kagura know that he felt the same way. Not if I can help it he thought in response to her question. If I can't confront him before he leaves, I guess I'll just have to wait until he comes home.

Tsukuyo was currently walking through the streets of what was known as 'the surface'. She wasn't too familiar with the area but she knew how to get around when she needed to. She was on her way towards the ramen shop that she and Gintoki had agreed to meet at for the evening.

Unsurprisingly, she was very nervous. She was hoping the night would go smoothly, but she didn't really know what to expect. This was an entirely new experience for her. Hinowa had tried to give her some advice before she had left, but Tsukuyo had been too uneasy to listen. Now, she couldn't even remember a word that she had said.

I need to calm down she thought. I won't be able to enjoy the date if I'm this anxious. What am I so scared of anyway? I do things more dangerous than this on a daily basis. So why am I so nervous about this?

Tsukuyo's thoughts were cut short as she turned the corner of a street to find the shop that she was looking for. She noticed that Gintoki was already there, standing out in front of the building. She stood still for a second, simply staring at him. She took a deep breath and gathered up all her courage as she walked over to meet him.

"Good evening, Gintoki," she said as she approached him. She managed to give him a small smile, despite her uneasiness.

Gintoki smiled as he noticed her. "Oh, hey," he said, sounding relaxed. He didn't seem to be nervous at all. He looked completely calm about the situation.

"How long have you been standing here?" asked Tsukuyo. As she looked at him, she noticed that he had his right hand behind his back.

"Just a few minutes. I wasn't waiting for long," he replied. He stared at her for a second before he spoke up again. "Anyways, here," he said, pulling his hand out from behind his back. He was holding a single purple flower in his hand. "This is for you," he said simply.

Tsukuyo just looked at it with a blank expression. "What is it?" she asked out of surprise.

Gintoki just stared at Tsukuyo as if she was stupid. "Um, it's a flower," he said, making it sound like it was obvious.

Tsukuyo just continued staring at it. "What do I do with it?" she asked.

Gintoki was starting to get irritated. "What do you mean? You're supposed to take it," he replied.

"Why?"

"It's something you give a girl when you take her out," he explained. "It's supposed to be sweet."

Tsukuyo just couldn't understand the concept. "I don't get it. Why would I want a flower?"

"Just take the damn thing," said Gintoki, practically shoving the flower into her hands. He was trying to do something nice for his date but she had basically just ruined it for him. "Let's go inside and eat," he said, trying to move on.

"Uh, ok?" said Tsukuyo as she looked at the flower in her hands. Do girls actually like this kind of thing? she wondered. She followed Gintoki into the ramen shop as he led them to a table. The place was mostly empty with only a few tables actually having customers sitting at them.

The couple went ahead and took their seats in the corner of the restaurant. Gintoki figured that the two of them could get some more privacy there. Tsukuyo set her flower down on the table, still not really sure what to do with it. They proceeded to open the menus that had been sitting on the table before they arrived.

"Try and order something cheap if you could," said Gintoki from behind his menu. "I don't have a lot of money to spend so we need to keep it simple."

Tsukuyo put her menu down and tried to look at him. "You know, Gintoki, I can pay for my part of the meal. It's no big deal," she said. She honestly felt kind of bad for the guy. She knew that he didn't always have a lot of money and that he needed every penny he earned.

Gintoki put his menu down for a second and gave Tsukuyo a serious look. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'm paying for everything, no questions about it."

"But Gintoki, I really don't mind helping you out," she said sincerely.

"I promised I would take you on a real date, didn't I?" he said seriously. He lifted his menu back up and started looking at it again. "On a real date, the man pays for everything. That's just how it goes. And it doesn't matter how poor he is either," he said from behind the menu.

"Are you sure?" asked Tsukuyo. "I don't want to be a burden."

Gintoki put down his menu one last time to look at her. "You're not a burden. I want to do this. Trust me, it's worth it," he told her. He then pulled up his menu one last time to signify that he was done talking about the subject.

Tsukuyo just looked down at the table. She figured she had no choice but to let him do what he wanted. "Well, ok then," she said. "Thank you, Gintoki, I appreciate it."

"Mm-hmm," he mumbled from behind the menu.

Tsukuyo simply smiled to herself as she continued looking at the table. He's trying really hard to make this a good date she thought. It's kind of sweet. I like him better when he's trying to be nice to me. It's hard to believe that a week ago I hated his guts. What ever happened to that asshole that enjoyed pissing me off? she thought with a quiet giggle.

As the two of them sat there trying to decide what to eat, a lady approached their table with a pen and paper in her hand. Once she arrived, she looked over at Gintoki and gave him a small smile. "Well, look who it is," she said. "What brings you here Gin-san?"

Tsukuyo stared at the woman with a look of curiosity. Who is this woman? She seems to know Gintoki.

Gintoki gave the woman a small smile in return. "Hey, Ikumatsu. We're just here to get something to eat," he explained. He didn't bother mentioning the fact that they were currently on a date.

The woman known as Ikumatsu gave Tsukuyo a friendly look. "Gin-san, you usually come here alone," she said. "Who is this you brought with you?"

"This is Tsukuyo," he explained without getting into the details. He was trying to keep things simple for the time being. "Tsukuyo, this is Ikumatsu. She's the owner of the shop," he said, finishing the introductions.

Tsukuyo gave Ikumatsu a small smile and extended her hand out toward her. "It's nice to meet you, Ikumatsu," she greeted her.

Ikumatsu gently grabbed Tsukuyo's hand and gave it a friendly handshake. "Same to you," she said kindly. "So, tell me about yourself. Are you a friend of Gin-san?"

Tsukuyo was suddenly caught off guard by the question. "Oh, well, uh," she stuttered. She didn't really know how to answer her. She knew that the two of them were in a relationship now, but she didn't know if it was exclusive information. She looked over to Gintoki for help.

Gintoki started coughing and scratching the back of his head. "Actually, Ikumatsu, we're kind of…more than friends," he said quietly. He was lightly blushing, showing that he was somewhat embarrassed to reveal the truth.

Ikumatsu crossed her arms in surprise. "I never thought I'd see the day," she said. "You finally found yourself a girlfriend, did you?"

"Yeah, something like that," he mumbled, still scratching his head.

Tsukuyo just sat there in silence as she stared at him. She was somewhat blushing herself. She felt weird, hearing Gintoki say that they were in a relationship together.

Ikumatsu didn't seem to mind the couple's embarrassment. She actually thought it seemed kind of cute. She looked over at Tsukuyo for a quick second. "Good luck with this one, sweetie. He's a real handful. Trust me, you're going to need it," she said with a small laugh.

Tsukuyo just gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, r-right," she said.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment before Ikumatsu spoke up again. "Anyways, I wish the best for the both of you. I hope you both find happiness together."

"Thank you, Ikumatsu," said Gintoki, pausing for a moment. "Listen, can you do me a favor and keep quiet about us for now?" he asked her sincerely. "I kind of want to keep it a secret for the time being. I don't want anyone finding out, especially Zura. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Ikumatsu gave Gintoki a look of confidence. "Of course Gin-san, I won't let your secret slip," she assured him. "Katsura still comes around from time to time, but I won't tell him what you've been up to."

Gintoki gave her a smile. "Thanks Ikumatsu, I knew I could count on you."

Tsukuyo just sat in silence, thinking to herself about what Gintoki had just said. She found it interesting that he wanted to keep the relationship a secret. She had some questions for him, but she didn't want to ask them until the two of them were alone.

Ikumatsu lifted her pen and paper as she looked at Gintoki and Tsukuyo. "Anyway, I came over her to take your order. Do you two know what you want?" she asked kindly.

"Um, we're not really sure yet," said Gintoki honestly. "We were hoping we could get something cheap that still tastes good."

"I'll tell you what," she said. "I'll give you each the fried rice meal for half price since you're on a date."

"Sounds great," said Gintoki, realizing he could get a bargain. "Is that ok with you, Tsukuyo?"

Tsukuyo snapped out of her thoughts at the mention of her name. "Huh?" she said in confusion. "Oh, yeah that's fine," she answered, realizing what Gintoki had just asked her.

Ikumatsu scribbled the order down on her paper and turned to leave. "I'll bring it over when it's ready," she said as she walked away.

Tsukuyo watched Ikumatsu leave until she disappeared into the kitchen. Once she was sure she was gone, she got Gintoki's attention. "Um, what was that about?" she asked gently.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little confused.

"You said you want to keep our relationship a secret for now. Is that true?"

Gintoki looked down at the table. "Well, yeah…" he answered truthfully.

"How's come?" she asked, still trying to sound gentle.

Gintoki just continued staring at the table between them. "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo," he said. "I haven't told anyone about us yet. I also don't plan on telling anyone anytime soon. I just don't want people finding out about it. It's kind of embarrassing to tell my friends that I have a girlfriend, you know? It's just not the kind of thing that they expect from me. Truthfully, I'm scared to tell them about us because I'm not sure how they'll react."

Tsukuyo just gave him a look of sympathy as she listened. "I understand," she said.

Gintoki looked up at her. "You do?"

"Yeah, the truth is, I haven't really told anyone either," she confessed. "Like you, it's not what people expect from me. It's not easy to let them know. Honestly, I'd rather keep the relationship a secret for now too."

Gintoki just continued staring at her. "So, you really haven't told anyone either?" he asked.

"Well, I did tell Hinowa, but I made her promise not to tell anyone else until I'm ready," she admitted.

"I see," he said. There was a small moment of silence before Gintoki spoke up again. "Well then, if it's aright for you, I think we should keep the relationship secret for now. At least until we're ready to tell other people anyway."

Tsukuyo thought about it for a second before she answered. "That's fine by me," she agreed. She didn't really want to keep secrets from their friends, but she figured it was for the best.

A few hours later, the two of them were slowly walking through the streets of Yoshiwara. The sun had set a short while before and the sky was full of stars. They were currently heading back towards Tsukuyo's house so they could bring the night to a close. They were taking their time, simply enjoying each other's company.

As they were walking, Gintoki suddenly looked over at Tsukuyo and grinned. "Hey, hold out your hand," he requested.

Tsukuyo gave him a look of confusion. "Why?" she asked.

"Come on, just do it," he said, encouraging her to trust him.

"Um, ok…" she replied, not really seeing what he was getting at. She extended out her hand as he had instructed. To Tsukuyo's surprise, Gintoki went ahead and grabbed her hand with his own. He held it gently, treating it as if it were something special.

Tsukuyo began to feel nervous upon her realization that they were holding hands. She began to blush a little bit as she felt the warmth of his touch. He's holding my hand she thought. Touching him like this feels weird. I'm not used to this. I've always been fine just being around him, but touching him is a little out of my comfort zone.

As they continued walking in silence, Gintoki glanced over at Tsukuyo. He noticed that she seemed kind of uneasy. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Tsukuyo looked down at the ground as she continued blushing. "Yeah, I just feel a little nervous when we do this," she said, indicating the embrace that they currently had.

Gintoki gave her a look of sympathy, feeling a little sorry for her. He realized that she wasn't used to this sort of thing. "Don't be nervous," he said with a look of encouragement. "You don't have to be nervous around me. You can feel relaxed without worry. I'm not going to bite, you know?"

Tsukuyo just looked at him without saying anything. She knew that she could trust him and what he was saying. She tried to calm down and just enjoy the feeling of his hand holding on to hers.

Gintoki looked up at the stars and decided to keep talking. He was hoping he could help her relax a bit more around him. "You know, it's been a really long time since I've been in a relationship quite like this one. I think I had almost given up on the thought of me ever finding a woman I wanted to be with. I lost interest in finding someone to spend my time with."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "But now, I'm in a relationship with you. And honestly, I'm really enjoying it. I like being with you, Tsukuyo. I don't feel any pressure when I'm with you, and I wish you could feel the same," he finished. He looked over at her, hoping his talk had made her feel better.

"I'm sorry," said Tsukuyo, looking at the ground. She felt bad that she didn't feel as comfortable as Gintoki did in the relationship.

Gintoki gave her a look like she was crazy. "What are you talking about? You don't have to apologize for being nervous. It's just the way you are; you can't help it. You'll get used to it eventually. You just have to give it time. It's no big deal."

Tsukuyo gave him a look of appreciation. She was truly grateful for everything he had just said. "That's very sweet of you to say, Gintoki," she said. She then paused for a moment before she revealed something to him. "Truth be told, you're the only man I've ever wanted to be in a relationship with. I'm truly happy that we're together."

Gintoki smiled. It seems like she's finally opening up around me he thought. "I'm glad to hear that," he told her. "Keep thinking like that and you'll stop feeling nervous in no time."

After Gintoki finished talking, the couple turned a corner to arrive on the street where Tsukuyo lived. They slowly approached her house as the date began to come to an end. They walked in silence, both of them enjoying their final moment with each other for the night.

Once they had arrived at Tsukuyo's house, they let go of each other's hand. Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki with a small smile as she began to say goodbye. "Thank you for taking me out tonight, Gintoki. I really enjoyed spending time with you."

Gintoki looked happy when he heard her say that. "Of course. I hope it wasn't too boring for you. I know that we didn't do a whole lot."

"Nonsense, it was a wonderful evening," Tsukuyo assured him. "I'm definitely looking forward to the next one." Tsukuyo paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "There will be another one, right?"

Gintoki just gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry, there will be more to come," he promised. "I'll be sure to call you whenever I come up with plans. And you're free to call me too, of course."

Tsukuyo started to feel a little excited upon hearing that. "Sounds great. I can't wait for it," she said.

Gintoki gave her a serious look. "You seem really excited," he told her. "I feel like I should give you something to hold you off until the next date."

Tsukuyo looked at him with confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Without responding, Gintoki leaned in towards Tsukuyo and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. Tsukuyo just stood still in shock as it happened. She didn't even know what to think.

The kiss only lasted for a short second before Gintoki leaned away. He gave Tsukuyo one final smile before he turned away and started heading home. "I'll see you later," he called out as he walked away.

Tsukuyo just continued to stand there in shock. She managed to lift her hand up to the place where Gintoki had just kissed her. She kept standing there outside her home for a few minutes before she realized that Gintoki had left.

Tsukuyo stared off in the direction that he had disappeared to make sure that he was actually gone. "Good night, Gintoki," she managed to whisper. She opened the door behind her and entered the house. She just looked at the floor and smiled to herself as she walked through the front. I just had my first kiss she thought silently.

Meanwhile, a short ways away, Gintoki was making his way towards the elevator that would take him back to the surface. Just like Tsukuyo, he was also thinking about what had just taken place between them. For some reason, only one question came to his mind as he walked.

When was the last time I kissed a woman like that and meant it?

Author: Hello everyone! I'm happy to bring you another amazing chapter of-

Kagura: Hello everyone.

Author: Wait, what? Kagura, what are you doing here?

Kagura: I'm here to talk to you, duh.

Author: But you were featured in this segment in the last chapter, remember?

Kagura: Yeah, but I didn't even get to do anything, so I decided to come back for another chapter.

Author: Are you serious? Who even authorized this?

Kagura: You did, right? Doesn't the author authorize things?

Author: Well…

Kagura: Anyway, I'm totally ready to be a part of this segment. I even noticed a mistake you made in the chapter!

Author: Lucky me…

Kagura: Earlier, Tsukky said that Gin-chan 'needed every penny he earned.'

Author: So?

Kagura: We don't have pennies. We use yen.

Author: It was just an expression. I'm sure the readers will understand what I'm saying.

Kagura: Wow, you sure are giving them a lot of credit…

Author: Ah! What are you trying to say, Kagura? Are you implying that the readers are-

Kagura: Don't worry about it. They're probably too dense to figure it out.

Author: Just for the record, I do not agree with what she's saying!

Kagura: Anyway, I still have a question from the last segment.

Author: Oh boy, what is it?

Kagura: When are we going to get to the main villain of this arc? I want some action in this piece of crap.

Author: Oh, the main villain? Uh…well, you see…Book 1 doesn't really have a villain.

Kagura: …Huh?

Author: Yes, I'm sorry to say that we won't be getting any villains in Book 1.

Kagura: Seriously? I'm dropping this piece of shit.

Author: Hold on, the other arcs will have villains! I promise!

Kagura: I doubt it, you'll probably find a way to screw it up.

Author: No, I'll bring in some really cool Gintama villains, like Crocodile and Doflamingo!

Kagura: …Aren't those One Piece villains?

Author: …Anyway, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!