Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 9

It was quiet and it was dark. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the rain heavily pounding against the house. The storm appeared to be getting progressively worse as the night dragged on. A bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the sky, and for a brief moment, lit up the room too.

Tsukuyo was quietly lying on the futon mat that sat within her room. Her door was closed and the lights were off. As she listened, she could hear the sound of thunder that followed the lightning. She then curled up into a ball and softly continued crying.

After Gintoki had left, Tsukuyo had gone straight to bed. She had since changed into her usual sleeping outfit, her salmon-colored robe. She had also let her hair loose, and it was probably looking like a complete mess at the moment. She was unable to sleep. She had spent the whole time crying her eyes out.

Even now, Tsukuyo was unable to stop the tears. She was too upset to even think about it. Her heart had just been completely shattered by someone she loved.

Once again, she found herself asking the same question over and over:

Why?

Why did Gintoki do this? Why did he say those things? Why did he break up with me?

No matter how hard she tried, Tsukuyo could not answer any of these questions. She just didn't understand what had happened earlier between the two of them. It was all too confusing, depressing, and hurtful.

It doesn't make any sense. Surely there is a reason for why he did this…?

Tsukuyo closed her eyes, but the tears kept coming out. Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong? What did I do to make him act like that? What did I do to deserve this?

Tsukuyo paused as she thought back on all of the time the two of them had spent together as a couple. The pain in her heart soon started feeling worse.

I…I thought we were happy together. Was it all just an illusion? Was I the only one who saw it that way? Was Gintoki actually unhappy being with me?

I…I thought he liked me…why did he say goodbye?

She imagined him standing in the doorway, the rain pouring behind him. Once again, he coldly stared down at her.

"Get off the floor, you look pathetic."

Tsukuyo winced as lightning struck the city again. Thunder rumbled as the rain kept on pouring. She then shoved her face into her pillow before she started bawling.

Gintoki…why?

The storm continued all through the night. The sky remained dark the entire time, even when morning arrived. It was a rather unusual phenomenon. In fact, if one did not know better, they could have easily mistaken the time of day.

Tsukuyo was still laying on her futon, quietly sniffling. After spending the entire night crying, her eyes were finally dry of tears. They no longer had anything left to release. Nevertheless, she did not feel any better. She could still feel her heart aching on the inside. She quietly clutched at her chest.

Gintoki…

She had no desire to move. She just wanted to stay in her bed and forget everything that had happened that night. She wanted to fall asleep, but she couldn't. The pain was keeping her awake.

After a while, someone could be heard gently knocking on Tsukuyo's door. Apparently, someone was standing outside of it.

This sudden introduction of noise only seemed to upset Tsukuyo. She let out a small groan as she buried herself under the covers.

"Tsukuyo? Are you in there?" asked a soft voice from outside the door.

As Tsukuyo listened, she immediately recognized the voice as Hinowa's. "Go away," she moaned.

"Tsukuyo?" repeated Hinowa, starting to sound concerned. "What's going on? Are you okay in there?"

"Leave me alone," she begged, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Hinowa…" Tsukuyo whined. "Please just go away…"

Hinowa simply ignored her; she was too worried. "There's something wrong, isn't there?" she asked, sounding concerned. "What is it? What's bothering you?"

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as she became still. She really didn't want to see anyone at that point in time. She just wanted to be left alone.

Hinowa was silent for a moment before she continued talking. "Tsukuyo," she begged, "please open this door and tell me what's wrong. I want to help you. I can't do that if you don't come out."

Tsukuyo held her head in her hands as she listened. She couldn't stand to hear Hinowa worry about her so much. It bothered her.

"Tsukuyo, please…"

Tsukuyo suddenly found herself slowly standing up. She couldn't take another second of this. She had decided that she was going to go and answer the door.

As she walked, she quietly wiped her eyes to make sure that they were clear of tears. She then gave a small sniffle. She didn't want to let Hinowa know that she had been crying. That information would only end up making her more worried.

Tsukuyo paused once she arrived in front of her door. She then slowly slid it open. The light from the hallway immediately poured into the dark room. Tsukuyo squinted as she looked out.

Hinowa was sitting right outside the door. She quietly stared up at Tsukuyo with a concerned look on her face. "Tsukuyo?" she asked gently.

Tsukuyo simply stared back. "Hinowa…" she said quietly.

As she stared, Tsukuyo suddenly felt her lips trembling. Then her eyes started to water. Seeing the concerned look on Hinowa's face was just too much for her. She couldn't take it any longer.

The next thing she knew, she had collapsed into Hinowa's lap. She pressed herself up against the courtesan as she started bawling her eyes out again. "H-Hinowa!" she cried.

Hinowa simply gave Tsukuyo a look of surprise as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? What's going on?"

Tsukuyo tried to respond but she was unable to do so. She couldn't even get a single word out. The tears just kept on coming and she was actually starting to sob.

Hinowa continued staring at her for another moment before she decided to take on her motherly role. She pulled Tsukuyo in close and gently held her. She then placed one of her hands on the girl's head and started rubbing it back and forth. "Shhh, don't cry, Tsukuyo. It will be okay. Please, try to calm down. Tell me what's wrong."

Tsukuyo did as she was told and tried to take a deep breath. She then shoved her face into Hinowa's chest as she tried to tell her about everything that had happened the night before.

"G-G-Gindokey bro cup wif may!" she cried.

Hinowa just gave Tsukuyo a look of confusion before giving a sigh. "Tsukuyo, I can't understand a word you're saying. You need to try and calm down."

Tsukuyo tried to take another deep breath, but she just ended up sobbing again. "I-I can't!" she choked out.

Hinowa gave the girl a look of sympathy as she continued rubbing her head. She couldn't help but feel bad for her. She knew that something awful must have happened to her, as she had never seen Tsukuyo act like this before.

Hinowa continued to hold Tsukuyo for another minute before gently letting go of her. "Tsukuyo, let's go to the living room. We'll take a few minutes to make sure that you get calmed down and under control. After that, you can tell me what's wrong, ok?"

In response, Tsukuyo just managed to give a small nod…

A short while later, Tsukuyo was quietly sitting on a chair within the living room. She was no longer crying but she still had a sad look on her face. Her hair was kind of messy and her robe had tear spots scattered over it. She gave a quiet sniffle as she stared out the window.

The storm looked like it was finally starting to come to a close. The lightning and thunder had stopped and the rain wasn't falling as hard as it had been before. The sky, however, continued to remain dark behind the clouds.

As she watched, Tsukuyo suddenly noticed Hinowa wheeling herself in from the kitchen. There was a small tray in her lap, and on top of it sat a teapot with two small cups.

Tsukuyo simply watched as the courtesan parked adjacent to her. Hinowa silently lifted up the kettle and poured two glasses of tea. She then held one out for Tsukuyo to take.

"Here," she said with a smile, "this should help."

Tsukuyo stared at it for a moment before taking it. "Thanks…" she said. She continued to look at the cup before taking a small sip.

Hinowa set the tray off to the side as she picked up the other cup. She also took a small sip before staring at Tsukuyo. "Are you feeling better?" she asked gently.

Tsukuyo just gave a small nod. She was starting to feel calm once again.

"Great, now please tell me what has you so upset," said Hinowa, looking concerned again. "I've never seen you like this and it's making me worried."

Tsukuyo lowered her cup of tea into her lap as she stared at it. She simply stayed silent.

"Tsukuyo, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," said Hinowa with a sigh. "Please, tell me."

Tsukuyo looked up at her for a moment before looking back down. She then took a deep breath as she stared at her own blurry silhouette reflected on the surface the tea.

"Last night, Gintoki came over to spend Valentine's Day with me," she said quietly. "And then, out of nowhere, he…he…"

Hinowa gave her a look of curiosity. "Go on…" she encouraged her.

Tsukuyo gulped as she continued staring at the tea. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes again. "…he broke up with me…" she finished.

Hinowa's eyes immediately widened out of surprise. "He…he did what?"

"Gintoki broke up with me," she repeated weakly. Her tears were now slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"What, why?" asked Hinowa, looking very confused. "I mean, tell me about what happened last night. What exactly happened between you two?"

Tsukuyo continued to stare at her tea as she softly shook her head. "I don't know if I can…" she said. "It…it hurts…"

"Oh, Tsukuyo," said Hinowa, feeling bad for the girl. She gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you don't have to go through this alone. I'll be right here to help you through it."

Tsukuyo slowly turned to face her. "Y-You will?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course," said Hinowa with a sympathetic smile. "I promise to help you through this. Now please, tell me about everything that happened last night."

Tsukuyo quietly sniffled as she looked down at her tea again. "Well, okay…" she agreed.

A few minutes later, Hinowa had heard the whole story. Tsukuyo had told her about how Gintoki had been acting strangely just after he had arrived. She had told her about how Gintoki had said he didn't care about Tsukuyo anymore and that he was unhappy with their relationship. She had told her about how Gintoki had abruptly broken up with her before walking right out the door. It was all there. The story was now out in the open.

Once she was done, Tsukuyo quietly went back to staring at her tea. She had tried her best not to cry, but the tears just seemed to keep coming out. She couldn't help it.

Hinowa looked away as she tried to make sense of everything she had just heard. "I…I can't believe this…" she said quietly. "I mean, did Gin-san really say all that?"

Tsukuyo silently nodded.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Hinowa as she quietly thought to herself. "Something is strange about that story. I just can't imagine Gin-san acting like that, especially not in front of you."

Tsukuyo just kept quiet as she listened. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to be angry or upset with the samurai. She could only sit there and feel sorrow and remorse for herself.

I hate this pain she thought miserably. All I want to do is be alone and cry, but that doesn't even help. It just keeps on hurting. Does it ever go away? I'm…I'm sick of this. I don't ever want to go through something like this again. It's just too much.

Tsukuyo suddenly tightened her hold on her cup. "I'm never falling in love again," she declared adamantly.

"Huh?" said Hinowa, glancing over to her.

"I'm never falling in love again," she repeated.

Hinowa gave her a look of concern. "What, why?"

"I decided to trust one man, and I ended up getting hurt. I don't ever want to go through something like this again. The suffering is just too much for me to handle. I'm never falling in love again."

Hinowa could only give a sigh as she listened. "Oh, Tsukuyo, please don't say things like that. You can find happiness through love again someday."

"No, I'm done with that. I just want to be alone from now on," said Tsukuyo stubbornly.

Hinowa was about to give a retort when the sound of knocking suddenly interrupted her. She immediately turned to the source of the noise. Apparently, somebody was standing outside the front door.

"Oh, someone's here," Hinowa noted. She then turned to Tsukuyo. "Stay here, I'll go ahead and get it."

"Alright," Tsukuyo replied dismally.

Hinowa gave her another look of concern before wheeling herself out to the front. She stopped in front of the door before slowly opening it. "Hello?" she asked gently. She then gave a look of surprise as soon as she saw who it was.

"Shinpachi? Kagura?"

It was true. The two younger Odd Jobs members were currently waiting outside the front door of her house. They were both standing underneath Kagura's umbrella in order to stay out of the rain.

"Ah, hello, Hinowa-san," greeted Shinpachi with a small wave. "It's a pleasure to see you."

"What's up?" asked Kagura casually.

Hinowa had not been expecting the two of them to show up, especially not now of all times. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, well, sorry to be dropping in like this," said Shinpachi respectfully. "We were just wondering if Gin-san was here."

"Gin-san?" asked Hinowa, sounding confused. "You're looking for Gin-san?"

"Yeah," said Kagura, "he kind of disappeared and we haven't been able to find him. We were wondering if he might still be here."

Hinowa continued to stare at them out of confusion. "You can't find him?" she asked.

"Nope," said Kagura with a frown.

"We actually kind of need to talk to him…" said Shinpachi with concern in his voice.

Hinowa simply stared back as she listened. Gin-san has disappeared? After what happened last night? Something strange is definitely going on…

"Um, why don't you two come on in?" asked Hinowa as she wheeled herself off to the side. "We can talk once you're out of the rain."

A few seconds later, the kids were inside of the house, quietly drying themselves off. Once they were satisfied with themselves, they looked over to Hinowa.

"Um, let's go into the living room before we start," suggested the courtesan. "I think Tsukuyo might want to hear this."

Hinowa then wheeled herself off as the two kids followed. Upon arriving in the living room, Tsukuyo silently looked up at them.

"Shinpachi? Kagura?" she asked, looking surprised.

The two kids immediately noticed that something was wrong with Tsukuyo. She definitely didn't seem like her usual self.

"Tsukky? What the-?"

"Tsukuyo-san?"

Tsukuyo just stared at them, starting to become confused. "What are you two doing here?" she asked them.

"Never mind that," said Shinpachi, looking concerned. "What's up with you? Are you alright?"

"You look like a mess," noted Kagura.

"Kagura-chan!" shouted Shinpachi. "That was rude! You didn't have to say that!"

"But it's true," she replied innocently. "What's up with you, Tsukky? You seem kind of down."

Tsukuyo continued to stare at them before finally dropping her gaze. "Um…it-it's nothing really…" she replied quietly. "Just tell me what you guys are doing here."

"Oh...well…" said Shinpachi, starting to remember. "We were actually wondering if Gin-san was here."

Tsukuyo stared up at the boy. "Gintoki…?"

"Yeah," said Kagura, "he's not still here, is he?"

Tsukuyo simply remained silent as she softly clenched her teeth. "Why…why would you think that he would still be here?" she asked somewhat harshly.

"Oh, um…" said Shinpachi, suddenly looking kind of embarrassed. "Well, we kind of thought that…uh…you guys might still be…celebrating Valentines Day and all…uh, you know…" His voice drifted off as his face started turning red.

"What?" asked Tsukuyo, still very confused.

"We thought you two were having sex," Kagura blurted out.

Shinpachi immediately turned to face her. "Kagura-chan!"

"Well, we were…" she said simply.

Tsukuyo could start to feel herself blushing as she listened. "You…you guys thought we were…" She went silent as her entire face turned red.

Hinowa was starting to get confused as she listened. "Um, Shinpachi, Kagura," she softly called to them. "Don't you guys know what happened between Gin-san and Tsukuyo last night?"

Now the two kids were starting to look confused.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kagura.

"What happened last night?" asked Shinpachi.

Tsukuyo quietly looked up at them as they turned to face her. They honestly didn't know what Hinowa was referring to.

Tsukuyo paused before she decided to answer them. "Gintoki broke up with me last night," she told them dismally.

Upon hearing this, both of their mouths fell open out of surprise. "He…he did WHAT!?" they shouted.

"He came over and broke up with me last night," Tsukuyo repeated quietly. Once again, she could start to feel the tears reforming in her eyes. It seemed she couldn't help but cry every time she had to say it.

"S-seriously!?" asked Shinpachi, hardly believing what he was hearing. "But, why would he…?"

"Oh, that bastard!" Kagura shouted as she clenched her fists. "First he leaves that note, and now this!? What the hell does he think he's doing!?"

Shinpachi soon noticed the girl's outrage. "Kagura-chan, stop! Please calm down! We're going to get to the bottom of this, ok? Getting angry won't help!"

"Hold on a second," said Hinowa, looking curious. "What are you talking about, Kagura? What was that you said about a note?"

The two kids simply stared back at the courtesan. Tsukuyo was now carefully listening in to what they had to say.

"Oh yeah, I guess we should explain…" said Shinpachi as he reached into his pocket. He fumbled around for a bit before pulling out a small piece of paper. "Gin-san left this note for us back at our place. We were actually looking for him so that we could talk to him about it."

"What does it say?" asked Hinowa.

"Well," said Shinpachi, quietly staring down at the paper. "It's kind of weird and sudden. Here's what it says: Shinpachi and Kagura, I have finally decided that I am sick and tired of dealing with the both of you. You are both just too much of a hassle for me to deal with each and every day of my life. That is why you are both fired. From this point forward, I will be handling the Odd Jobs business by myself. Go ahead and get lost. I don't want to have to see you two again. Farewell. –Gintoki."

Once Shinpachi was finished, the room went silent. Everyone was trying to make sense out of what they had just heard.

After a while, Hinowa finally spoke up. "He fired you?" she asked.

"Apparently," said Shinpachi as he stared at the note. "I have no idea what Gin-san is trying to do by leaving this note for us. It doesn't really make any sense."

"I don't understand either," said Kagura as she crossed her arms. "Why would he tell us to get lost like that? And why would he just dump Tsukky out of the blue?"

"Hmm," said Hinowa as she put a hand to her chin. "You're right, it really doesn't make sense. Under normal circumstances, Gin-san would never do those kinds of things. I think we can all agree that something suspicious is going on."

"Really? Like what?" asked Kagura.

"Well, I don't know," Hinowa replied honestly, "but there must be a reason for why Gin-san has been acting so strangely."

"Hmm," said Shinpachi, quietly thinking about the situation. "You may be right, Hinowa-san. I think that we might need to take a closer look into what's going on here."

"You think we should go investigate?" asked Kagura curiously.

"Yeah, we need to get to the bottom of this. It's the only way that we'll be able to find out what Gin-san is up to."

"Well, okay then," agreed the young Yato. "In that case, I guess we should go and look for Gin-chan or something."

Hinowa simply stared at the two of them. "You two are heading out?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's our job to look after that fool," said Shinpachi with a smile.

"We're definitely going to find out what's going on!" Kagura shouted as she raised a fist.

"I see," said Hinowa with a small smile. "Well, I'll just leave it to you two then."

"Right," they both replied.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Tsukuyo suddenly shouted from her seat across the room. "I…I'm coming with you!"

The two kids stared at her for a moment before they both started smiling.

"You are?" asked Kagura.

Tsukuyo closed her eyes before slowly standing up. "Yes, I want to join you in your investigation."

Hinowa gave her a concerned look again. "Tsukuyo, are you sure? You've been sitting around and crying all morning. Do you really think you're up for something like this?"

Tsukuyo glanced at her before looking at the rain outside the window. "I also want to find out what Gintoki is up to and why he's been acting so strange. I want some answers."

Tsukuyo then turned to Hinowa with a small smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine. I can handle this."

"So…you're coming with us then?" asked Kagura with an excited look on her face.

"Yes, I'll help you guys investigate," she said, giving the girl a smile.

Hinowa simply sighed as she listened. "Well, alright then," she agreed. "If you really want to go, I won't stop you."

"Thank you, Hinowa," said Tsukuyo as she walked over to the courtesan. She then leaned in close and gave her a small hug. "For everything."

Hinowa could only give a soft smile as she returned the hug. "Of course dear."

After that, Tsukuyo quietly stood up and turned to face the two kids. "Just give me a minute," she told them, "I need to go and get ready."

"Of course," said Shinpachi with a small smile.

Tsukuyo then started making her way out of the room. Hinowa simply watched as she left.

"Mmm, that poor girl," she said, looking concerned once again. "She took this breakup with Gin-san really hard. She's been crying all morning."

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Kagura, also starting to look concerned.

Hinowa gave a small smile as she turned to the two of them. "Yes, I think she'll be alright. She does seem more positive and focused now. But even so, I just can't help but worry about her…"

Hinowa then paused before continuing. "Can I ask a favor of you two?"

"What is it?" asked Shinpachi.

"When you guys are out on your investigation, can you please just take care of Tsukuyo for me? You know, just keep an eye on her and make sure that she's doing alright? Like I said, I just can't help but worry about her."

Shinpachi and Kagura simply smiled as they listened.

"Just leave it to us," said Shinpachi.

"We'll take good care of Tsukky," said Kagura.

Hinowa gratefully returned the smile as she gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

Well, here's the next chapter! A long one too ;) I was originally thinking about splitting it into two, but when the first part came up short, I just decided to add the rest. You're welcome!

So yeah, it seems like this chapter ended up raising more questions than actually answer any XD Don't worry, I think I can finally get some answers out in the next chapter! I know, I know, I have a lot of explaining to do! XD

By the way, thank you all for not freaking out after the last chapter! Many of you were very understanding and calm in you reviews. I truly appreciate that. I also liked seeing what you guys had to say. It was kind of a crazy chapter, so thank you for being supportive! :)

As for this chapter, I hope it didn't make you too sad. I'll admit, it was pretty depressing. Poor Tsukuyo…But hey, I threw a little comedy in there too, so it's all good XD

Oh, by the way, Berserk is coming back. Yay :D

Yeah, yeah, I know you guys don't care XD Well, I think that's about all I have to say for now. Please leave a review for this chapter and please look forward to getting some answers in the next one! See ya!