Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 8
Gintoki was silently walking up the stairs towards his home. He was trying to be quiet so that no one would become aware of his presence. It was starting to get late and he didn't want anyone waking up and catching him sneaking back home. Once Gintoki had made it to the top of the stairs, he quickly walked to the front door and managed to slip inside.
The first thing he noticed upon entering his house was that the lights were still on. What the hell? he thought. Kagura is usually asleep at this time of night. Why are all the lights still on? Don't tell me she's still awake.
He slowly walked towards the door that opened to the main room. It was currently closed, but Gintoki was still able to notice that the lights were on in that room too. Maybe Kagura just fell asleep with the lights on. She was probably just waiting for me to come home. Yeah, that's it.
Gintoki quietly slid open the door, hoping he was right. The first thing he noticed was that there was somebody sitting on the couch in front of him, but it was not Kagura.
"Shinpachi?" he said out of surprise. "What are you doing here?"
The young boy with glasses simply looked up at Gintoki as if he had been there the whole time. "Hello, Gin-san. I was wondering when you'd come home."
Gintoki stepped into the room as he closed the door behind him. He had not been expecting Shinpachi to be there. He usually headed off for home long before it got late. It was kind of unusual that he was still here at this time of the night.
Gintoki decided to go ahead and ask him some of the questions on his mind. "What are you doing here so late? And where is Kagura at?"
Shinpachi continued staring at Gintoki as he answered his questions. "Kagura went to bed a little while ago. I was just going to stay here until you came home," he told him. "I didn't want to leave Kagura all alone until you got back."
Gintoki started to feel a little nervous as he listened. Is that really why he is here? His story seems kind of off. Why wouldn't he want to leave Kagura alone? She can take care of herself. Is it possible he was waiting for me to come home because he is suspicious of where I've been? Is that the real reason why he's here?
Gintoki decided to clear his thoughts and just focus on getting Shinpachi to leave for the night. He was getting tired and was about ready to go to bed. "Thank you for staying here so late," he told him. "I'm sure Kagura will appreciate that you kept her company even after she fell asleep." He paused for a moment before getting to the point. "Anyway, now that I'm back you're free to head on home," he told Shinpachi, secretly implying that he should leave.
Shinpachi gave Gintoki a serious look as he spoke up. "Actually, Gin-san, I was hoping I could ask you a question before I left."
Once again, Gintoki became nervous upon hearing Shinpachi. "A question, huh?" he managed to say.
"Yeah, I was hoping you could tell me where you have been all night," he said, getting right to the point.
Gintoki just stared at Shinpachi, not trying to show any of his anxiety. He was silently thinking to himself. Shit! He is definitely suspicious of me. He must think that I'm hiding something. If I'm not careful, he'll figure out that Tsukuyo and I are dating!
Gintoki calmed himself down and tried to play the situation off casually like he had before. "It wasn't important," he told Shinpachi. "I was just taking care of some adult business. It's nothing to worry a kid like you about. Now, I think it's about time that you-"
"Gin-san," Shinpachi interrupted him, "I kind of…overheard the private phone call you made a few days ago," he revealed.
Gintoki just froze where he was standing. He knows…
Shinpachi took a moment before he decided to accuse Gintoki of his big suspicion. "Gin-san, is it possible that you're going out wi-"
Before Shinpachi could even finish his sentence, Gintoki had leapt over to him and covered his mouth with his hand. He wrapped his other arm around Shinpachi's body so that he couldn't escape. Shinpachi just looked at him out of fear as he tried to speak.
Gintoki was looking at him with a look of worry and seriousness. "Just be quiet and come with me," he whispered to Shinpachi. He slowly began to drag the boy towards his room where they could talk without fear of being heard.
Shinpachi decided not to resist. He figured he might be able to get some answers out of Gintoki if he did as he was asked.
Once the two of them were in Gintoki's room alone, Gintoki released his hold on Shinpachi. Without wasting a second, he quickly closed the door and turned to face the boy. "I'm not going out with anybody," he blurted out.
"Wait, what?" said Shinpachi. He could tell that Gintoki was starting to freak out. "Hold on a minute," he said.
"I don't know what you heard on that phone call, but I'm not going out with anybody," Gintoki insisted.
Shinpachi tried to calm him down. "Hold on a minute, Gin-san! I haven't even accused you of anything yet."
Gintoki looked at him and realized he was right. He tried to take a deep breath and relax. He knew that if he kept overreacting like that he would accidently reveal his secret.
Shinpachi decided to try and explain things to Gintoki in a calm manner. "Listen," he said, "the other day I accidently overheard part of your phone call. At the time, I thought it sounded like you were inviting a woman out on a date. I also heard you say that you were taking this woman out on Friday evening. I thought I might be wrong, but when Friday night came around, you just disappeared. I couldn't help but be suspicious, so I decided to wait here until you got home. I was going to ask you if you were seeing someone, but just now you freaked out before I could even accuse you of it."
Shinpachi paused for a moment and let out a sigh. "Just tell me the truth, are you going out with someone?" he asked gently.
Gintoki just stared at Shinpachi in silence. His look was that of utter defeat. He knew that he could not talk his way out of this one. Shinpachi had figured out Gintoki's secret, and he knew it.
Gintoki let his head fall as he sighed. "It's true," he said, "I'm going out with someone."
The room went silent as Gintoki's official revelation sunk in. Shinpachi looked at Gintoki with a soft smile, happy that he had finally discovered his secret. However, he still had some questions he wanted answered.
"Why did you keep it a secret from us?" he asked softly.
Gintoki just stared off into the room. He had explained the same thing to Tsukuyo earlier that night. Now he would have to do it again for Shinpachi.
"I was afraid," he admitted. "I was afraid of how you guys would react upon hearing the news."
Shinpachi didn't really understand. "Why?" he asked.
"Well, you know, you guys are always interfering with my life. You, Kagura, your sister, that granny downstairs, everyone. You all go crazy every time something new happens to me. I figured that this time would be no different. If I told everyone that I was seeing someone, I doubt that they would take it lightly."
"Seriously?" said Shinpachi. "You really think that your friends would go crazy upon hearing this?"
Gintoki gave him a look of doubt. "You think they would keep calm if I told them I was dating a girl?"
"Well, maybe not that," admitted Shinpachi, "but they definitely wouldn't go on a rampage or anything like that. I think that most of them would be happy to hear that you found someone to spend your time with. I know I am."
"Really?" asked Gintoki.
"Of course, it's nice to know that you are happy being with someone," he said with a smile.
Gintoki gave him a small smile in return. "I appreciate what you're saying, Shinpachi, but I doubt that everyone else is as understanding as you. You may be accepting of this, but the others may not be able to say the same."
Gintoki paused for a moment before continuing. "Look, I still don't want to let everyone know about this just yet. I need you to keep this a secret for me, just until I'm ready to tell them. Can you please promise me you will do that?" he asked with a pleading look.
Shinpachi could tell that this was important to Gintoki. He honestly didn't feel like Gintoki needed to keep his new relationship a secret, but he knew that it was what he wanted. If he wants to keep it a secret for now, I guess he has every right to he thought to himself.
"Fine, I won't let anyone else know about this," Shinpachi agreed. Gintoki started to show a look of relief on his face when Shinpachi suddenly continued. "However," he said, "I have one condition you must fulfill if you want me to do this."
Gintoki now showed a look of dread as he began to feel nervous again. He didn't know what Shinpachi was about to ask of him. All he knew was that whatever it was, he would have to do it. Shinpachi knew his secret, and he was currently at the boy's mercy. "Fine. What do you want?" he asked solemnly.
Shinpachi gave Gintoki a look of triumph. "I'll keep your secret if you tell me who it is that you are going out with," he requested simply.
Gintoki just looked at Shinpachi with a blank face as he thought about the request. He didn't see the harm in telling Shinpachi. He had already agreed to keep everything a secret anyway. "I'm going out with…Tsukuyo," he revealed.
"Really?" said Shinpachi in surprise. "You're going out with Tsukuyo?"
Gintoki looked down at the floor. He was immediately starting to regret his decision to tell Shinpachi. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?" he asked, trying to defend himself.
"Nothing!" said Shinpachi quickly. "There's nothing wrong with you two going out. It's just that…well," he paused for a moment. "I was kind of under the impression that she hated you."
"She does," Gintoki said without thinking. "No, wait, she did hate me, or at least she used to- OH WHATEVER! The point is we're a couple now!" he snapped.
Shinpachi just smiled, happy to know the truth. "Well, that's great," he told Gintoki. "I think you two will make a nice couple." He went silent for a second before he continued. "Now, you see? It wasn't that hard to tell me your secret was it? You can tell the others without worrying," he assured him.
Gintoki still had his doubts about that. "Yeah, whatever," he said. "Just make sure you keep it a secret like you promised."
Shinpachi just sighed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone a thing," he promised. I guess Gin-san just won't change his mind he thought to himself.
Gintoki let out a breath of relief. He had managed to keep his secret safe for the second time that night. First Ikumatsu, now Shinpachi he thought. I hope no one else starts to become suspicious. It is exhausting enough just trying to tell two people without having them going around and spreading the news. I hope telling people becomes easier with time…
Gintoki let out a big yawn. He was starting to get tired. He had been through a lot that evening, and he was ready to go to bed. "Well, Shinpachi," he said, looking at the boy, "if we're done here, I think you should head on home. It's getting late and I'm stressed out and tired."
Shinpachi gave a nod to show that he understood. "Ok, Gin-san. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Right, see you then," said Gintoki. He opened his bedroom door so that Shinpachi could leave. He took a quick glance at Kagura's closet to make sure that she was still asleep.
Shinpachi went ahead and exited the room, making his way out of the building. He was also starting to get tired and was about ready to fall asleep.
Once he was sure that Kagura was asleep and that Shinpachi was gone, Gintoki began to get ready for bed. As he prepared himself, he thought about everything he had revealed to Shinpachi that night. I think I can trust him he thought calmly. Shinpachi is not like the others. He's more understandable than they are. I can trust him to keep my secret safe.
And with that, Gintoki crawled into bed, and fell asleep without another thought.
Author: Hello everyone! Since this chapter featured Shinpachi as a main character, he will be our guest. Hello Shinpachi!
Shinpachi: Hello Author-san. I'm really excited to be here. Believe it or not, I'm actually a fan of your work.
Author: Wait, really?
Shinpachi: Of course, I think that this story is pretty good.
Author: …Wow.
Shinpachi: What's wrong?
Author: Oh, nothing. It's just that you're the first character to praise my story. Hell, you're the first one to not call my story a piece of crap.
Shinpachi: I would never say that. This story is good, no doubt about it.
Author: Well, thank you Shinpachi. I really appreciate the complement.
Shinpachi: However, even though your story is good, it definitely has some minor problems.
Author: …Huh?
Shinpachi: First off, why is this chapter so short? Couldn't you add some more material to it before you published it? Are you trying to cheat the readers out of what they deserve?
Author: Um, no? I wrote everything I wanted to put into this chapter. I didn't feel the need to add more…
Shinpachi: Second, how's come it takes so long for chapters to come out huh? Do you know how long the readers have to wait for your lazy butt to release more chapters?
Author: I can't help it! I have work and school! I don't have time to write new chapters every day.
Shinpachi: Third, why is this segment so repetitive? It's just the same old characters talking crap about the story. Can't you come up with something new already?
Author: You think I like this abuse!? Besides, I thought you liked this story! Where is all of this negativity coming from?
Shinpachi: I don't see what you're so upset about. You're the one who makes us say all these things anyway. After all, aren't you the one who writes this?
Author: I…uh, I don't want to answer that…
Shinpachi: You like to make it seem like we're bullying you, but you're the one writing all this!
Author: Um…I think this is a good stopping point. Let's wrap up the segment, shall we?
Shinpachi: Hey, don't ignore my questions! We want answers!
Author: As always, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!