Silver Moon Book 2 – Chapter 3
Gintoki and Tsukuyo were quietly walking through the streets of Yoshiwara. It was the evening of February 9th, meaning that Tsukuyo's birthday had finally come around. The young couple was currently making its way to a club within the city. There they would spend the evening alone with each other in order to celebrate the special occasion.
As they walked, Tsukuyo suddenly grabbed onto Gintoki's arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's nice to get to spend time with you again," she said softly.
Gintoki simply looked down at her and gave her a smile. He gently freed his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her waist. He then held her close to his body as they walked. "I know how you feel," he told her.
"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the ground. "It's my fault that we haven't had any time to see each other lately. I've just been so busy…"
"It's okay," he told her sincerely. "Don't worry about it. Yoshiwara needs you right now. It's understandable."
Tsukuyo gave him a small smile before snuggling up against him. "Thank you, Gintoki, for being so patient. It really is nice of you."
"No problem," he said casually.
As the couple continued walking, Tsukuyo suddenly let out a big yawn as she leaned against the samurai.
Gintoki looked down at her out of concern. "You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah," she mumbled, "I'm just a little tired."
"You seem more than tired," he noted. "You seem completely exhausted."
"I've just been working a lot lately. That's all."
"I think you've been working too hard. Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"I've been trying," she said truthfully, "but it hasn't been easy. With the arrival of the new overlord, I've been working nonstop to ensure that everything stays in order while changes are being made. I've also been doing my regular patrols and police duties on top of that. Too many people are counting on me right now so I just have to bear with it."
As Gintoki listened, he continued to stare at Tsukuyo with concern. "You know, we don't have to go out tonight if you're too tired."
Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo immediately looked up at Gintoki out of protest. "What? No, I want to spend some time with you," she told him.
"You sure?"
"Of course, I've really missed being with you the last few weeks. That's all I want to do right now."
In response, Gintoki gave her a soft smile as he tightened his hold on her. "I've missed you too," he said.
A little while later, the couple was sitting in a circular booth at the previously mentioned club of choice. It was a rather peaceful joint, with calm and soothing music playing in the background. There was a large buffet filled with all kinds of delicious foods with which the customers could help themselves. It was one of Yoshiwara's finer clubs and it had a rather relaxing atmosphere. It was the perfect place for the young couple to spend some time with each other.
"So Hinowa is having an important meeting at your house right now with some of the top courtesans?" asked Gintoki.
"Yes," replied Tsukuyo. "They're discussing how they can help Kami-sama make the city a better place to live. However, this kind of thing isn't really something new. These courtesans have been having these kinds of discussions long before Kami-sama ever arrived. They've been looking out for the welfare of the city ever since we got rid of Hosen."
"I see," said Gintoki. "So that's why you can't go home after our date?"
"These meetings are very important and I don't want to interrupt. Hinowa always sends Seita and me away whenever they take place so that the courtesans can discuss in peace. They usually end up taking a while, so I'll have to wait before I get to go home."
"That's fine," Gintoki told her. "You can just come and hang out at my place after we're done here. How does that sound?"
"Sounds great," she replied with a smile. "Their meetings don't usually go too long into the night, so I should just need to stay at your place for a little bit."
"Stay as long as you like," said Gintoki, giving her a warm smile. "You're always welcome."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," said Tsukuyo, returning his smile.
"So then," said Gintoki, starting to move on, "are things really still going well with this new Kami guy?"
"Things have been better than well, they've been great. All of the citizens absolutely love him and he's been helping us out in more ways than one. He really is a great addition to the city."
"That's good to hear," said Gintoki, a little relieved at what she was telling him. He was happy to know that they were still doing well with a new overlord running things.
"Oh, that reminds me," said Tsukuyo, suddenly remembering something. "Kami-sama is planning on holding a big celebration ceremony for the Hyakka. It's going to be a big day where the citizens will show their thanks and gratitude for what we do in Yoshiwara."
"Really? Well that was nice of him," said Gintoki, listening carefully.
"I know, it really was a thoughtful idea," Tsukuyo agreed. "Anyways, I'm going to the palace on the 13th to discuss the details of the ceremony with him and you've been invited to come along too."
"Seriously? Why me?" asked Gintoki, rather surprised.
"When Kami-sama heard that I had a boyfriend, he became very interested in meeting you. He asked me if I'd bring you along with me for the meeting."
"Is that so? Well how kind of him, taking interest in me."
"You'll come along with me, won't you?"
"Of course I'll go," said Gintoki. "I'll admit I'm actually kind of interested in meeting him too."
"Good," said Tsukuyo, satisfied with his answer. "Don't forget, it's the evening of the 13th."
"Right, I look forward to it," he said, making a mental note. "So you really do like this Kami guy, huh?"
Tsukuyo simply looked down at the table as she responded. "Yes, I really do like him. I can't even express how thankful I am for everything he's done since he got here. He's been such a big help and the city has become a lot happier under his jurisdiction. I truly am thankful for his presence."
"I'm happy to hear that," said Gintoki as he leaned back in his seat. "Just let me know if that Kami guy ever starts mistreating the city like Hosen did. I'll be sure to come right away and kick his ass."
"What? Gintoki! Don't say things like that!" Tsukuyo shouted at him.
"What? Why not? That's what I did to the old one," said Gintoki casually.
"Yes, but Kami-sama is very different from him! He's not going to do anything as bad as what Hosen did. So please don't talk about kicking his ass anymore. It's unfair for Kami-sama, who hasn't even done anything wrong."
"I know, I know," said Gintoki, "it was just a joke…mostly…"
"Well please don't say it anymore," requested Tsukuyo. "If you say it loud enough the citizens here are going to want to start kicking your ass."
Gintoki simply let out a sigh as he answered. "Alright, fine. I won't say it anymore, ok?"
"Thank you," said Tsukuyo, happy that she finally had Gintoki under her control.
A moment of silence fell between the two before Gintoki spoke up. "Anyways," he said, starting to look a little guilty, "I suppose I should apologize to you. I'm afraid that I didn't get you anything for your birthday."
As she listened, Tsukuyo simply stared back at the man with a blank expression. "It's okay, Gintoki. I don't care about any of that. I'm just happy that you're here spending time with me. That's a good enough gift for me."
"Well, even so," said Gintoki, "I still feel kind of bad about not getting you anything. That's why I'm going to make it up to you by getting you a really nice gift for Valentines Day."
Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo paused for a moment before she started getting excited. "You're going to get me a Valentines gift?" she asked him with a grin.
"Yeah, Gran and the others thought it would be a good idea, so I'm going to get you something. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it's going to be good, so look forward to it."
In response, Tsukuyo simply rested her head on her hand as she stared at the samurai. "Aw, that's so sweet of you, Gintoki. I suppose I should get you something in return then?"
"Chocolates might be nice," Gintoki quietly suggested as he stared off into the room.
"Very well," said Tsukuyo. "I'll get you some chocolates then. Just so long as you make sure that my gift is really good."
"I'll try my best," Gintoki assured her.
"Speaking of Valentines Day, I just remembered something that Hinowa told me. She said that we could have the house to ourselves that night if we're interested. Apparently, she and Seita are going out to do something together, so the house will be empty. It will just be the two of us, what do you say?"
"It will be a quiet romantic evening alone huh?" asked Gintoki, picturing the idea in his head. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."
"Glad to hear it," said Tsukuyo. "Just plan on coming over that evening and feel free to bring my gift with you."
"It's a date," agreed Gintoki.
After that, the couple just cheerfully stared at each other in silence. The two of them seemed content just to be spending time alone with each other. After all, they had hardly had any time to do it in the previous couple of weeks. To the two of them, it almost seemed like a perfect moment.
As they continued staring at each other, the couple slowly started to draw towards each other. It seemed like they were about to share a small kiss, when suddenly, a woman screamed from across the room.
Seconds later, more screams started to follow the first as they echoed throughout the room. Gintoki and Tsukuyo immediately snapped out of what they were doing and started looking around. Like many others in the club, they were starting to become curious as to what exactly was going on.
It seemed like there was a commotion currently taking place at the entrance of the building. Many of the clubs working courtesans had gathered around out of what appeared to be excitement. Before long, even some of the customers were getting up and taking a look at what was going on. Gintoki and Tsukuyo simply continued to sit in their seats as they tried to make sense of the situation.
The questions were soon answered when one of the working courtesans started shouting. "It's Kami-sama!" she shouted out of joy. "Kami-sama has come to our club!"
The crowd of people then started to part to reveal that the new overlord of Yoshiwara had indeed entered the building. Kami was standing there with a small smile on his face as he lightly started waving to the crowd. Standing next to him was his assistant, Edward, who was also giving the group a soft smile of greeting.
In terms of appearances, the two officials still looked the same as they always did. Kami's long black hair was tied neatly in a ponytail and his simple pair of glasses covered his bright green eyes. Edward's long light brown hair was very neatly combed and his monocle rested over the one eye. Both men were wearing their usual black robes.
"So that's what all of the excitement is about," said Tsukuyo as she stared at the two young men. "Figures that the place would go crazy for his arrival. I wonder what they're doing here though…"
Gintoki could only stare in silence as he looked at the two men. Since he had never seen them before, this was his first opportunity to do so. He immediately took note of their expensive robes and diplomatic behavior. They certainly seemed like dignified officials.
However, the thing that really caught Gintoki's attention was the reactions of the citizens. Many of them were waving and talking excitedly. They could hardly believe that the new overlord had stopped by for a visit. They were completely in awe of his presence.
Wow thought Gintoki. The citizens sure are going crazy for that guy. They're honestly treating him like he's some sort of celebrity. I guess Tsukuyo and Gran were right; the city really has become attached to that man. In a way, it's almost unbelievable the amount of influence he has despite only being here for a couple weeks. I guess it just goes to show that the guy really is doing a good job around here.
A moment later, Kami was quietly trying to calm everybody down. Once they were all hushed, he politely greeted them. "Good evening, fellow citizens. We were just stopping by to enjoy a drink or two if that's alright."
"Why of course, Kami-sama!" shouted the courtesan who stood next to him. "Please, do come in and help yourselves."
"Thank you," he kindly told the woman. "Please everyone, do not let our presence here interrupt your meal. We really don't want to be a burden on anybody."
"Don't be silly, Kami-sama! You're more than welcome here!"
Kami gave the woman a smile before slightly bowing his head. "Once again, thank you," he told her. "Is it alright if we grab a seat?"
"Of course, please sit wherever you like! Make yourselves at home! We can assign someone to serve you if you like-"
"Oh, that won't be necessary. We can take care of ourselves."
"I understand. I'll just leave it to you two then," said the courtesan with the utmost respect. She then turned around to the crowd behind her and started forcing them away. "Go on, leave the man alone! Everyone please go back to where you were!"
As the crowd started to disperse, Kami went ahead and started looking for a place to sit. As he scanned the room, his big bright green eyes eventually noticed the booth where Tsukuyo and Gintoki were sitting. He immediately recognized Tsukuyo and gave her a gentle wave.
In response, Tsukuyo also gave the overlord a wave and a welcoming smile. It was obvious that she was happy to see the man. Then, to her surprise, Kami and Edward started making their way towards the couple's booth.
"What the?" said Tsukuyo quietly. "Gintoki! They're coming over to our booth!"
"Really? They must be coming over to say hello," he said.
"Seriously?" said Tsukuyo, frantically turning around to face her boyfriend. "Gintoki, listen up. Try your best to be polite and respectful in front of him. Don't say anything rude and please don't say anything about kicking his ass!"
Gintoki gave her a confident smile in order to assure her. "Understood," he said.
Before long, the new overlord and his assistant had arrived at the booth. "Good evening, Tsukuyo-san. It's a pleasant surprise to see you here," he told her.
In response, Tsukuyo gave the overlord a warm smile and addressed him with the utmost respect. "Same to you, Kami-sama. I was also rather surprised to see the two of you come into a place like this."
"Ah, yes," said Kami, understanding what she was saying. "I thought it would be a good idea to go out from time to time to experience the kinds of things Yoshiwara has to offer. It's kind of a way for me to learn more about the city."
"I see," said Tsukuyo. "That does sound like a good idea."
Kami gave her another one of his small smiles as thanks for the complement. It was at that moment that his eyes finally landed on Gintoki. As Gintoki stared back at the man, he thought he noticed something strange happen…
It almost seemed like, for a moment, Kami's big green eyes were staring intensely at Gintoki. For some reason, the overlord almost looked as if he was surprised to see the samurai sitting in front of him…
However, a second later, Kami blinked and his eyes appeared to go back to normal. He slowly turned back towards Tsukuyo as he readjusted his glasses. "And who is this young man sitting with you?" he asked politely.
"Oh, right, let me introduce you," said Tsukuyo, suddenly remembering that the two had never met before. "This is my boyfriend, Gintoki."
"Oh, that's right!" said Kami, his face lighting up. "So this is your boyfriend? I see. It's wonderful to meet you, Gintoki-san." Kami then offered his hand out to Gintoki for a handshake.
"Um, right," said Gintoki, slowly taking the man's hand. "It's nice to meet you too. And you can just call me Gintoki," he added.
"My name is Kami," said the overlord, properly introducing himself. He then pointed to the man standing next to him. "And this is my assistant, Edward."
Edward also extended his hand out of respect as he gave a smile. "It's a pleasure," he said briefly.
Gintoki also shook his hand as he quickly thought back about what he had just seen. What was that all about? he wondered. For a second there, I thought I saw Kami's eyes staring at me as if he was in a trance. But, I only saw it for a moment before they went back to normal. Is it possible that I just imagined it?
Meanwhile, the conversation at the table seemed to be moving forward. "So if you two are here together," said Kami, "you must be on that date that you mentioned before." The young overlord then showed a look of guilt as he continued standing there. "Forgive us," he said. "We didn't mean to interrupt your special date."
"What? Don't be silly! You're not interrupting!" said Tsukuyo, trying her best not to discourage the man. "Actually, why don't you guys go ahead and join us for a little bit? You could all get to know each other a little better."
Kami gave a look of surprise as he waved his hands back and forth. "Oh, that's all right," he said. "We don't want to be a bother to you two."
"You're not a bother," said Tsukuyo with kindness in her voice. "Besides, we don't mind if you join us. Right, Gintoki?"
"Huh?" said Gintoki, suddenly snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, right, I don't mind."
"Well, if you insist," said Kami.
Tsukuyo quietly stood up and moved to the other side of the booth so that she could sit with Gintoki. Kami and Edward then took their seats across from the couple.
"So Gintoki, tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?" asked Kami, looking interested in the young samurai.
"I run an odd jobs business," Gintoki replied. "I basically take any job that comes my way as long as I get paid for it."
"Oh, that must be very exciting," said Kami with enthusiasm. "It must be fun being able to do something different every day."
"Eh, work is work," said Gintoki with a shrug.
At this, Kami gave a small laugh. It seemed like he was quite entertained with Gintoki. "You're not from around here, are you? Where do you live?" he asked.
"I live up on the surface, in the Kabukicho district."
"I see. So then do you come to visit Yoshiwara often?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say I've grown kind of attached to the place," said Gintoki with a small smile.
"Heh, so have I," said Kami, also smiling. "You're a funny man, Gintoki. I think I'm starting to like you."
"Same here," said Gintoki.
Tsukuyo quietly looked over and gave Gintoki a smile, happy that he was actually making a good first impression. "I'm glad that you two are getting along so well," she said. "How about I go and get us some drinks while you guys keep talking?"
"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Kami, trying not to be burden.
"It's okay, I'll get some for everybody. I'll be right back," she said as she stood up and started walking to the bar across the room.
The men simply watched in silence as she walked away. "What a sweet girl," noted Kami.
"She is," agreed Gintoki.
"By any chance, has she told you about the upcoming meeting for the celebration ceremony we're planning?"
"Oh yeah," said Gintoki, "she did mention it a little while ago."
"Are you planning on coming? We'd love to have you as our guest," said Kami with a welcoming smile.
"Yeah, it sounds nice," said Gintoki, trying to be polite.
"Wonderful!" said Kami. "We will be expecting you then."
"I think it's really nice," said Gintoki, "what you're doing for Tsukuyo and the others. I really do think that she deserves a ceremony for all the hard work she's done lately."
"I couldn't agree more," said Kami. "Yoshiwara wouldn't be able to function without its police force. We'll have to do our best to plan something good for all of them."
"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. And I will too."
"Please look forward to it," said Kami, showing his teeth in a big, confident grin.
After that, a moment of silence fell on the group. Gintoki quietly turned to the man sitting next to the overlord, who had yet to say a word. "Your friend here doesn't say much, does he?"
Upon hearing this, Edward simply looked at Gintoki and cleared his throat. "Forgive me," he said. "I have always been a rather quiet and reserved person. I rarely ever feel the need to add my input and I mostly keep to myself. Unfortunately for some people, they might see this as being rude. However, I myself see it more as being respectful by not interrupting a good conversation," he said with a smirk.
"Edward has always been quiet," said Kami with a smile. "But he's a good talker when he wants to be."
"Fair enough," said Gintoki with a shrug. "So you're supposed to be Kami's assistant, right?"
"That is correct," said Edward with a nod. "I keep track of important information for him and help keep him organized and focused. Most of the time though, I'm just making sure he doesn't do anything reckless or stupid."
Gintoki raised an eyebrow at this. "And does that kind of thing happen a lot?" he asked.
"More than you think."
"Come now, Edward. Please don't talk like that, you're embarrassing me," said Kami, waving his hand up and down.
"My apologies," he said.
"Don't worry," Gintoki told the young overlord. "I have a hard time believing that about you anyway. You definitely seem like a calm and composed individual."
At this, Kami started laughing. "Well, don't be too sure. After all, appearances can be deceiving," he said, giving another confident grin.
Upon looking at Kami's grin, Gintoki suddenly paused. He started to sense something familiar in the back of his mind. He almost felt like he had seen that look before, but he couldn't remember where.
"Excuse me," said Gintoki after a moment of silence, "but by any chance have we met before?"
"Before?" asked Kami with a look of confusion. He placed a hand on his chin as he tried to remember possibly meeting the samurai in the past. Eventually, he put his hand back down and said, "I'm afraid I don't recall."
"Really?" asked Gintoki, still staring at the man. "I can't help but feel like I've seen you somewhere in the past. I just can't put my finger on it…"
"Hmm," said Kami, still trying to think. "Perhaps you saw me somewhere a long time ago," he suggested.
"Maybe…"
Suddenly, a crash was heard from across the room and a woman screamed. It seemed like another commotion was beginning to take place.
"Huh, I wonder what that's all about," said Kami, trying to see what was going on.
Before long, more crashes and shouting were heard as more and more people tried to figure out what was happening. The voice of one of the working courtesans who was nearby could be heard throughout the chaos. "What the hell is she doing?" she shouted.
"Who is that woman?" shouted another.
"Hey, I think I've seen her before. Isn't she with the police?"
"Um, excuse me, Gintoki," said Kami, slowly pointing over to the chaos. "Isn't that Tsukuyo over there?"
"Huh?" said Gintoki. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked to where the overlord was pointing.
To his surprise, Tsukuyo was standing at the bar with a large bottle of alcohol in her hand. Her cheeks were tinted red, a clear indicator that she was completely drunk. She was soon swinging the bottle in her hand and appeared to be terrorizing the people around her. She looked like she was breaking things with her every movement as many of the workers tried to stop her. To many of the onlookers, it was quite a sight to behold.
To Gintoki, however, it was a sight of complete dread. "What the hell!?" he shouted. "Tsukuyo!? How the hell did she get a drink? Doesn't she know she's not supposed to do that!?"
Kami and Edward could only stare in silence as they watched the courtesan continue to go on a rampage. They weren't quite sure what to say about the whole situation.
"Damn it," said Gintoki, clenching his teeth. "I better go stop her!"
As he got out of his seat, he suddenly stopped and turned back around to face Kami. "Sorry," he said. "I need to go and calm her down. It looks like we'll have to cut this conversation short."
Kami gave him a soft smile. "I understand," he said.
"It was very nice to meet the both of you. I hope to see you around from time to time."
"The same to you. I'll look forward to seeing you again on the 13th. Don't forget to come!" said the overlord, still smiling.
"Right, I won't," said Gintoki, returning the smile. He continued to stare at Kami for a moment before the sound of another crash came from the bar. "Ah! Tsukuyo! Put that down!" he shouted as he started running towards the commotion.
Kami quietly watched the samurai leave. He then gave a small laugh.
"You seem to have taken a liking to that man," noted Edward with a curious look.
"Yes, that man, Gintoki…" he said, smiling once again. "He's so…interesting."
And that was Chapter 3! I hope you like it! I personally enjoyed writing it :) This chapter came a lot easier then the last one, so that was good. By the way, I included the description of Kami and Edward's appearances again to remind you guys what they look like XD
Moving on, I want to talk about something important in this story. I want to discuss the ages of the characters, because I feel like it's something that's good to know. So to start off, I'd like to say that this is just kind of my speculation. These are just the ages that I think of when it comes to the current point in this story, so they may not be entirely accurate. Then again, it's my story, so who cares?
So here we go. As of Book 2, Tsukuyo just turned 25, Gintoki is about 27, Shinpachi is 18, and Kagura is 16. As for Yoshiwara's newest officials, Kami is in his twenties and Edward is actually quite a bit older than him, possibly in his thirties.
Well, those are the ages of all of the relevant characters XD I kind of see Book 2 taking place roughly two years after the main Gintama storyline, but it still takes place within the usual Gintama universe…if that makes any sense. By that logic (the Author's logic!), you can safely assume that all characters are roughly two years older than their normal Gintama age. So if you were curious about any of this, then there you go. And if you weren't curious, well…there you go…
And that's it for now! As always, please leave a review with your thoughts and comments about the chapter! I wrote a lot this time so you should at least be able to find something to write about, so do it damn it!
…That sounds kind of pushy, doesn't it? Um, I'm sorry…see you all next chapter!