Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 18
Kagura dashed through hallway after hallway, frantically searching for her missing friends. Where are they? she wondered. Zura was back there, so does that mean that Tsukky went on ahead? Did she keep going after Gin-chan? If so, where the hell would I be able to find them? I don't know my way around this place! I was only supposed to be the distraction!
Something suddenly caught Kagura's attention as she came to a halt. She remained still as she strained her ears. She could hear something a little ways away…it almost sounded like the chaos of a fight…
Someone's fighting! Kagura realized. This way!
Kagura took off down the hall, doing her best to track the sound of the fight to its source. She quickly did some thinking while she ran.
If there is a fight going on, then it must be between someone from our side and someone from their side. That means that it could be Tsukky or Gin-chan fighting right now! That makes sense! I've found them at last! They're right in here!
Kagura flew through the large doorway into an even larger room. She quickly skidded to a halt the moment she made it inside. She then glanced around, trying to find out what exactly was going on.
The room was huge. Bloodstains dotted the floor and there were even some on the walls. Some walls looked as though they had been crushed and one particular stretch had kunai scattered throughout it. It was obvious that somebody had been fighting in here.
Kagura then turned her head to the side and immediately noticed the disabled courtesan lying against the wall. All other thoughts were lost as she ran straight to her.
"Tsukky!" Kagura cried as she crouched down to look at her. "What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?"
Tsukuyo stared at Kagura and weakly smiled. "Sorry, Kagura. I broke our promise..."
"What do you mean? What happened?"
Tsukuyo blinked and strained to keep her eyes open. She had lost a lot of blood and she feared that she was close to losing consciousness. "I found Gintoki," she managed to mumble.
"Gin-chan?" asked Kagura desperately. "You found him? Where is he?"
Tsukuyo pointed behind the Yato girl. She turned and looked up.
There, up on the third floor balcony stood Gintoki and Kamui. Both men were breathing heavily as they faced each other. They held their weapons out in front of them, both ready to attack or defend at a moment's notice.
Kagura felt slightly relieved to see Gintoki again, but something else was calling her attention. Her brother Kamui stood directly across from him. The brother that she despised so much, standing right there in front of her, after all this time. The sight of him instantly sparked a rage deep inside of her that had been growing for some time now. She wanted nothing more than to go up there and fight him, to beat him senseless, to-
Tsukuyo coughed and the sudden noise snapped Kagura out of her angry state. She turned around to look at the courtesan once more.
She's in a bad condition, just like Zura. We need to get her out of here and tend to her wounds as soon as possible. But still…
Kagura faced forward again and yelled as loud as she could. "GIIIINNN-CHAAAANNN!"
Upon hearing the noise, both Gintoki and Kamui dropped their guard and turned to look for the source. Once they saw who was screaming, they each showed a new look of surprise.
"Heh, look who's here," said Kamui in a taunting voice.
"Kagura?" said Gintoki quietly.
"That's right!" Kagura screamed back. "I'm here!"
"What are you doing here?" Gintoki yelled down to her.
"I came here for you, you idiot!"
Gintoki wanted to yell back 'Why?' but refrained from doing so. He recalled that she had been part of the group that had originally come to save him from Kamui. He glanced over to Kamui for a moment. He didn't really need to be saved from fighting him anymore. However, what he did need was…
"Hey, Kagura, listen!" Gintoki started yelling again. "Forget about me! Just grab Tsukuyo and get out of this place!"
Kagura looked stunned for a second before she replied. "But…but what about you?"
"Didn't I just say to forget about me? I'll be fine! I just need you to get Tsukuyo to safety! Please!" he begged.
"But…" Kagura was still at a loss for words. "But we came here to rescue you! I can't just leave you behind! I can't just-"
"Kagura," Gintoki said softly.
Kagura immediately stopped talking and looked up at him. Gintoki stared right back into her eyes.
"Once I've taken care of Kamui, I will leave this place and come back to you guys. I promise. No matter what happens, I swear I will come back to you alive."
Kagura froze, not quite sure what to say. For some reason, she just knew that Gintoki was telling the truth. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. She knew that he would do whatever it would take to get back to them safely.
Kagura then found herself slowing nodding up and down. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'll do it. I'll take Tsukky out of here and I'll make sure that she is taken care of. Just make sure…make sure that you go through with your promise!"
Gintoki gave her a confident grin. "I will," he assured her.
Kagura quickly ran back to Tsukuyo and knelt down next to her once more. "Alright, Tsukky. I'll get us out of here and then Gin-chan will be right behind us."
Tsukuyo gave a small nod. She was still feeling rather faint.
Kagura did her best to carefully lift Tsukuyo up and position her behind her back. Once she was safely in place, Kagura started running for the exit. However, right as she was about to pass through, she paused.
Kagura turned around and gazed at Gintoki and Kamui once more. Before she could help herself, she discovered that she was screaming up at them once again.
"Gin-chan! Do whatever it takes to defeat him! Do you hear me!? I don't care what you do! Just defeat him! Whatever it takes!"
Gintoki glanced down at her, feeling a little confused. He was hoping that she would go on a little further and elaborate, but it looked like she was done speaking. Without another word, Kagura turned around and exited the room.
After that, the room was silent for a while. Kamui, who had yet to say anything since Kagura had initially arrived, suddenly produced one of his curious grins.
"It's the first time I've seen her in so long, and she didn't even say hello to me. Hmph, perhaps she has lost interest in me after all this time?"
Gintoki remained silent as he ignored Kamui's words. His mind was already busy trying to understand something else. The words that Kagura had just spoken to him…
"Do whatever it takes to defeat him!"
Gintoki was still confused. What did she mean by that? Whatever it takes? I've already been trying my hardest against this guy…Hmm, it definitely seems like there is something there…something that she wanted me to know…
Gintoki paused. Wait, could it be…?
Suddenly, a memory from long ago drifted into Gintoki's thoughts. It was the words that had been spoken to him by Kagura's father, the great Umibozu. It had happened right after the events of Hosen…
"Kagura wants to save him…Despite all the badmouthing she does, she wishes for her brother to go back to how he used to be…"
Gintoki was finally starting to make some sense out of Kagura's words. Her dad said that she actually wanted to save Kamui. He claimed that she truly desired for Kamui to return to his old self. She never really wanted Kamui dead…that is, until…
"Do whatever it takes to defeat him!"
Gintoki glanced at his opponent. Is that what she meant? Is she saying that she is giving me permission to defeat Kamui for good? Is she saying that I'm allowed to kill her brother, if that is what it takes to win?
Gintoki soon found himself releasing a sigh. That poor girl. To have to choose between me and her brother, and to have chosen me…this entire thing couldn't possibly be easy for her to go through…
"Well, I think it's fair to say that this fight has dragged on long enough," said Kamui, suddenly turning to face Gintoki again.
Gintoki snapped back to his senses. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had almost forgotten that he was in the middle of a fight. He noticed that Kamui had raised his umbrella, and he was grinning from ear to ear.
"We've both sustained serious injuries up to this point. How about we settle things right here and now? Let's not stop until one of us drops. This will be it, the final clash between us. What do you say, Gintoki?"
Gintoki glared back at the boy as he tightened his grip on his sword. He wanted a little more time to himself in order to do some thinking, but he honestly had no reason to put this fight off any longer. After all, there was still a spark of rage burning within him…
"You're on," he muttered.
Kamui's grin somehow managed to grow wider. "Excellent. This is it then. We won't stop fighting until a victor is declared between us. Prepare yourself, I may come at you at any moment."
Kamui then lifted his umbrella up next to his head and held it at an angle that was parallel to his gaze. It was pointing directly at Gintoki, who had just warily raised his own weapon out of defense. He glared right back at the Yato.
Hmm…so Kagura wants me to go for the kill, eh Kamui? I wonder what you would think about that…Hmph, you would probably find some way to twist it to your delight. You would be proud that your little sister desired to become a killer just like you…that she wants me to kill you…
But honestly, I'm not even sure if I want to kill you, Kamui…Well, it's not like I have the time to choose right now anyway. This entire battle will all be over in just a moment…
Gintoki tightened his focus. Kamui remained still. The whole room went silent. Drops of blood slowly fell from the wounds of both men. It was so quiet that Gintoki could actually hear each drop hit the ground. His heart started beating fast…
This is it…For some reason, I can tell that this will all be over in just a few minutes…
No…it will be shorter than that…this will all be over in ten seconds…
Drip. A drop of blood hit the ground.
Kamui lunged forward for a stab at the samurai who twisted away at the last instant. Gintoki swung his sword as Kamui ducked below it. The Yato then smashed his umbrella directly into Gintoki's side. The force sent him flying through the nearby wall into an empty room.
Gintoki recovered by landing on his feet. Kamui flew into the room as Gintoki charged him. He threw another horizontal slice at him, but this time Kamui jumped over the samurai. Gintoki quickly turned around and thrust his blade at the still airborne Yato.
Without even thinking, Kamui grabbed the blade with his free hand and yanked it out of Gintoki's grip. Once the sword was free, Kamui quickly released it and the momentum from the yank carried the sword upward until it was firmly wedged in the ceiling.
Kamui landed on the floor and flashed an insane grin. I've finally got him!
Kamui swung his umbrella, while Gintoki suddenly produced a kunai in each hand. This small action caused Kamui to pause for the briefest of moments…
He still has some of those from before!?
This pause was all that Gintoki needed to complete his next attack. As Kamui swung the umbrella in a wide arc, Gintoki dropped beneath it and plunged a kunai into the each foot of the Yato. He forced the blades so far into the boy's feet that they even pierced into the floorboards beneath him.
Now I've got you pinned!
As Kamui winced from the pain, Gintoki took his chance to leap for the ceiling, where his sword was waiting for him. As soon as his hand closed around the hilt, Gintoki ripped it from the ceiling and began his descent.
This is it!
Kamui quickly recovered to find Gintoki rapidly falling towards him. He saw the samurai draw the sword back behind him in order to prepare for a final swing. Kamui tried to move, but his feet were stuck to the floor due to the kunai. At that instant, Kamui quickly chose the only option left to him. He too, drew back his weapon for a swing.
Gintoki instantly closed the distance between them. Each man swung his weapon in a desperate attempt to finish the fight. The blade and umbrella connected with a short but blinding shower of sparks.
In the instant after the weapons made contact, both Gintoki and Kamui were only able to make out two things of importance: Gintoki's sword had shattered into several large pieces and Kamui's umbrella had spun out of his grasp. Both men were essentially weaponless at this point…
However, Gintoki still had something worth using. It was the hilt of his sword, with just a small, jagged piece of the blade sticking out of it. Gintoki pointed the hilt out in front of him and took careful aim.
"RAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The short piece of blade pierced the stunned Kamui's left arm. Gintoki quickly shifted all of his weight onto the hilt. He forced the broken weapon, along with Kamui's arm, all the way into the floorboards. Kamui fell onto his back as Gintoki landed on top of him. In addition to both of his feet, now Kamui's left arm was also pinned.
At this point, the only chance that Kamui had of fighting was to use his free right arm. However, he did not use it. Rather, he could not use it. Kamui was in shock. From the moment that the weapons had collided, Kamui had lost track of the fight. He was almost in a daze, simply following one step behind.
Gintoki, on the other hand, was the opposite. His desire to win, his desire to beat Kamui carried him through that last moment of the fight. Even now, Gintoki's body still seemed to be moving on its own. Almost as if past battles were being awakened inside of it…
And so it was that Gintoki instinctively reached out into the air and grabbed something. It was the tip of his blade that had just been shattered only a moment before. Without another thought, Gintoki brought the blade down and stabbed Kamui's last free limb. Just like the others, his right arm was now firmly pinned to the floor.
As soon as that happened, time seemed to start moving again. Kamui's umbrella fell to the floor a short ways away while the remains of Gintoki's sword clattered around them. Kamui was completely sprawled out on the floor, with a different blade sticking out of each arm and leg. Gintoki was crouched down above him, heavily panting.
"I…I did it," he said between breaths. "I won…this battle…is my…victory."
Gintoki looked down at Kamui. The Yato did not say a word. He simply stared up at the ceiling, completely motionless. It almost seemed like he was still trying to figure out what had just happened.
Gintoki pushed himself to his feet, and then glanced down at his pinned opponent. You know, now would be the perfect time to finish him off for good…
"I could kill you right now," he said out loud.
Kamui did not show any sign that he had heard him.
Gintoki paused, then gave a sigh. "I could kill you…but I've decided against it."
Gintoki paused again. Kamui still did not move.
"Honestly, even if I did want to, I don't have any means of killing you. My sword is in pieces and I'm all out of kunai. I suppose I could use one of the pieces of my broken blade, but stabbing you over and over with a jagged piece of metal seems a little too savage for me. Plus, you'd probably like to be killed like that, being the sick freak that you are…and I'd rather not give you the satisfaction."
At this point, Gintoki turned around, away from the motionless Yato.
"Also, despite what she says, I don't think that Kagura really wants you to wind up dead by my hands. Even though you're a ruthless killer, she still wants to see you go back to normal…So as a favor to her, I'll let you live, just this once…"
Gintoki slightly turned his head, and glared down at the boy.
"But listen up. If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you. Consider this your last chance…"
Gintoki glared at him for a moment longer, but Kamui would still not stir. Gintoki took a deep breath and then faced forward again. He started walking for the wall that had just been blown apart a few minutes before. "Farewell," he said quietly.
"That was fantastic."
Gintoki stopped in his tracks. He turned around once more to find Kamui still staring at the ceiling. However, the difference was that the boy now had a wide grin on his face.
"Your victory, that is," Kamui continued. "That was very…cunning. Who would have thought that you would pin me limb by limb? Among all of the fights that I have ever been in, I have never seen something like that."
Gintoki wasn't quite sure what to say about this unforeseen praise, so he simply stayed silent.
"That was an amazing fight. Your skills and strength were on point. You were actually a real challenge. And just look at me! I was actually defeated! That is impressive! Very impressive! You were truly a worthy opponent…"
At this point, Kamui's eyes finally shifted away from the ceiling towards Gintoki. "You fulfilled your part of the deal splendidly. I could not have asked for a better fight from you. For that reason, it is now time that I uphold my part of the deal. Come here, there is something that I would like to give you."
Gintoki raised an eyebrow at this. "You're going to give me something?"
"Yes. Consider this a reward for securing your victory against me. You've certainly earned it."
With great effort, Kamui managed to bend his right arm over to his chest. The tip of the blade still held the limb securely to the ground, but it seemed like Kamui could still move it to some degree. Nevertheless, a fresh spurt of blood flew out of his arm in resistance.
As Gintoki began to wonder what sort of reward he could possibly receive, Kamui slowly reached his hand into his shirt…
Outside of the palace, the four remaining members of Gintoki's rescue team sat in silence on the front lawn. Katsura lay on the ground, still unconscious from before. Tsukuyo was now next to him, still fighting to remain awake. Shinpachi and Kagura sat on the ground in front of them, anxiously waiting for Gintoki.
"What's taking so long?" asked Kagura, desperately looking back at the palace behind her.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," said Shinpachi, also turning to look behind. "He wouldn't lose this battle. He'll come back to us any second now."
Kagura, who was still a bit anxious, faced forward and looked down at their two injured comrades. Shinpachi had done his best to bandage up Katsura with what little he had to work with, and when Kagura had arrived with Tsukuyo, he had done the same for her. Shinpachi had managed to stop the bleeding for the most part, but it was clear that it would not be enough. They would need to move their patients to a place where they could receive proper medical treatment soon.
We honestly shouldn't wait too much longer Shinpachi thought to himself. I know that we want to make sure that Gin-san comes back to us, but we're running out of time. Katsura-san and Tsukuyo-san need help and we really shouldn't just be standing around here…
"Kagura-chan," said Shinpachi softly. "Maybe we should consider leaving. I mean, we really need to get these two some proper medical care."
Kagura was silent at first before she answered. "No," she said firmly.
Shinpachi gave a small sigh. "Look, I want to wait for Gin-san too in order to make sure that he's safe, but we really don't have much time left. Maybe we should just get a head start, you know, just in case…"
"No, that won't happen," said Kagura in the same firm tone. "Gin-chan promised that he would come back to us as soon as he's done. He'll be here."
"It's true," said a new, quiet voice. Kagura and Shinpachi were startled at first, until they realized that it was actually Tsukuyo speaking.
"Tsukuyo-san?" asked Shinpachi. She's still awake after all that?
Tsukuyo weakly smiled before continuing in her faint tone. "You guys should know better than anybody that Gintoki keeps his promises. Besides, I heard him say it myself. He said he'd come back alive. Kagura is right. He will be here…"
The group went silent after this. Nobody seemed to have anything left to say. A few minutes went by while the three of them patiently awaited the arrival of their final companion, until finally…
"That's it," said Shinpachi as he rose to his feet. "We've given him enough time. We just can't wait any longer. We have to go now."
Kagura, starting to get angry, rose to her feet as well. "No! He said he'd be here! We just have wait a little bit longer!"
Shinpachi gave another sigh. "Look, Kagura-chan. I don't doubt that Gin-san will come back to us alive. I truly believe that he will. But the thing is, he's taking too long. He'll just have to catch up with us once we're done here."
"No! I won't do it! Gin-chan said that he was coming so I'm going to wait for him! You can leave on your own!"
Now Shinpachi was starting to get angry. "I can't take both Katsura-san and Tsukuyo-san with me by myself! They need help and they need us both to get them some!"
"They don't mind waiting just a little bit longer!"
"What are you talking about? Katsura-san is unconscious and Tsukuyo-san is almost there as well!"
"Sheesh, what's all this yelling about out here?" said a new voice from behind.
Both Shinpachi and Kagura whipped their heads around. There he was. He was bloodied and bruised, but he was there and still alive, with a small smile on his face.
"G-Gin-san!"
"Gin-chan!"
The next second, they were both crying and hugging their useless leader. Gintoki didn't resist, but simply continued to smile down at them.
"What's the matter?" he asked casually. "Don't tell me you actually thought that I wouldn't make it?"
"See? I told you he'd come back Shinpachi!" Kagura cried out.
"You bastard! What took you so long?" shouted Shinpachi.
"Sorry," said Gintoki, "I was just wrapping up some unfinished business, but that's not important right now."
The samurai managed to shake the kids off of him before moving towards Tsukuyo. Still smiling, he carefully leaned down and lifted her off of the ground. Tsukuyo's eyes drifted up to him, but she was having trouble keeping focused. She could feel herself finally slipping into unconsciousness. As her sight faded to black, the last thing she heard was Gintoki's calm voice speak out to them.
"Come on, let's all go back together…"
Back within the palace, Abuto stumbled into a room with a small group of Yato guards trailing behind him. He had just recently awoken after his defeat and had gone looking for his captain right away. Along the way, he ran into the small number of guards that now followed him. They were apparently the only ones that had not been taken out by the intruders and had recently been trying to locate the courtesan known as Tsukuyo.
Abuto continued hobbling into the room where his captain laid sprawled out on the floor before him. "Well, I must say, it looks like you've seen better days."
Kamui raised his head upon hearing the noise. "Oh, Abuto, it's you. I figured you'd be showing up here sooner or later."
Abuto stopped next to Kamui and glanced down at him. "What happened here? Did you end up getting the fight that you wanted?"
Kamui smiled. "Yes, Gintoki eventually resolved to fight with me."
"Forgive me, but would I be correct in assuming that it was your loss?"
"I'm afraid so," said Kamui, still smiling. "He's a sly one, that samurai."
Abuto crouched down next to Kamui and began inspecting his wounds. "Your left arm looks alright with just that blade sticking out of it, but your right arm looks like it was violently forced against this other blade…Also, your feet are in pretty bad condition. I'm guessing those kunai were roughly twisted around when you fell."
"It's pretty bad, huh?" asked Kamui casually.
"Yeah, but the damage shouldn't last. Us Yato are known to be incredibly fast healers, after all. I'd say you're probably going to be back to normal in about a week."
"Good to hear."
Abuto stood back up and waved the guards over to help release the captain from the floor. "By the way, captain, one of the guards just informed me that we've received a message through the communication device on our ship. Apparently it's from Shinsuke."
"I figured that this would happen sooner or later," said Kamui indifferently. "I'm guessing it's an order telling us to come back?"
"Seems likely…" said Abuto with a slight pause. "In any case, I think that it is time that we left. Our business in Yoshiwara is finished now, correct?"
"Correct," said Kamui as his men lifted him from the floor. "Let's quickly gather up whoever's left and let's go."
"Very well then," said Abuto as he began stumbling out of the room, his captain being carried alongside him. "By the way, I never did ask, but how was that fight? After all, that was the whole reason that we came here in the first place. Did you end up getting what you wanted?"
For the last time, Kamui produced another giant grin before he answered.
"It was better than I could have even hoped for."
Hello everyone! I'm just here with another delayed chapter! That's right! Five weeks this time, I think! Yeah, I really am sorry that this took so long. The truth is, I kind of got distracted XD Now, I know what you're all probably thinking:
"But Author-san, what could have possibly prevented you from writing such an amazing chapter aside from school, work, procrastination, social activities, homework, video games, and other day to day miscellaneous activities?"
Ah, yes! A good question! A very good question! And I actually have an answer XD You see, I recently started reading a new manga series known as Kingdom. Let me just say, holy shit, this series is nothing short of AMAZING. It's so good that it's actually addictive. I have been completely wrapped up in this series for about a month now.
So I suppose I should tell you why Kingdom is so great and why you absolutely need to read it! Characters: Awesome. Artwork: Beautiful. Story: Intense! To explain a bit more, the story revolves around a war period in ancient China and a young swordsman's dream of becoming a great general. It may take a little while to get into it, but once you do you're hooked and you just can't stop reading! And then you start forgetting about writing fanfiction stories! (maybe that's just me XD)
But yeah, my words can't do Kingdom justice. I suggest you all go give it a try while you wait for me to continue my story. And let's be honest, we all know that it will be a long wait XD That means you'll have plenty of time to give it a try!
Also, one more recommendation before I shut up. Have you all been watching the new One Punch Man anime? It's AMAZING TOO! So good! Give it a try! Please, for me! I told you all back in Book 2 Chapter 4 that you would have to watch it when it came out so just do it already damn it!
Anyways, that's enough out of me for a chapter…or for a year…I'll just leave things off here! Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter! We're nearing the end of Book 2 folks! Yay! See you next time!