Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 15

After the transmission cut out, the room went silent. The core members of the Kiheitai were all trying to get a good grasp on the situation at hand. Takasugi himself just placed his kiseru on his lips before staring off to the side.

"Man, it sounds like they're raising hell in here," said Kamui with a thoughtful smile.

"What should we do now, Shinsuke-sama?" asked Matako, ignoring the Yato. The rest of the room quickly followed suit and turned towards Takasugi, awaiting orders.

Takasugi took a moment to reply. "I have a plan," he said, slowly exhaling smoke through his lips. "It should be pretty easy," he noted.

"What is it?" asked Kamui, ready for action.

Takasugi briefly flashed a grin. "We're just going to capture the intruders. Simple as that."

"That's it?" asked Abuto, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right. This was actually my plan from the beginning. Now that we've lured Gintoki here, all we have to do is go and seize him and his little friend. Aside from that, we'll capture Kagura as well. I'll admit that I wasn't counting on her showing up, but she shouldn't be too much trouble to handle as long as she's on her own."

The room went silent once more as they digested the plan that Takasugi had just presented them with. Before too long, Bansai spoke up. "And how are we to go about this?"

Takasugi slowly rose to his feet before putting his kiseru away. "We'll split into two teams. Kamui, Bansai, and Matako will go after Gintoki. It should be fairly easy, since he has already fallen for our trap. Just use whatever method you think would be best for detaining him. Meanwhile, Abuto, Takechi, and I will go after Kagura. Fortunately, I already have a plan for dealing with her. We'll round them all up and have them tossed in our prison in no time. Any questions?"

"Do I really have to work with that guy?" asked Matako, pointing at Kamui.

Takasugi gave a small sigh. "You're all more than capable of handling this task, so I trust that you will."

Kamui just smiled at this. "Guess you're stuck with me, sweetheart."

Matako just clenched her teeth before she barked back at him. "Fine! But if that's the case, Bansai-senpai and I will be the ones coming up with the capture plan!"

Kamui simply crossed his arms with another smile. "Fine by me."

"Great," said Takasugi, turning to leave. "Gintoki should be near the location they reported before the transmission cut out. As for us, we'll search for Kagura near the control room. Everybody got it? All right, let's move out…"

Another tiny explosion went off in the control room as Kagura tossed monitor after monitor at the wall. This girl was going on an absolute rampage. Most of the technology that had been in the control room was now either smashed to pieces or up in flames. The damage and destruction alone was ironically worthy of praise from the terrorists she was attacking.

Meanwhile, Sogo was still keeping most of the pilots at a standstill. A lot of them were too afraid to confront the boy blocking the exit with his sword, and those that weren't had already been cut down.

"What are we supposed to do!?" one of the pilots cried desperately.

"We're going to die!" cried another.

"Oh, quit your whining," Sogo told them coldly. "How many lives have you terrorists taken? Whether it be directly or indirectly, you're still responsible for a lot of murder and destruction. And now the time has come for you to pay for your sins."

"I'm sorry!" one of the pilots screamed. "Don't kill me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"WHO CARES!?" someone yelled from behind them. As it turned out, it was Kagura, and she appeared to be creating chaos yet again. This time, she was kicking and punching the pilots aside in order to clear a path. "Just get out of the way!" she shouted angrily. "I'm leaving!"

Sogo just lowered his sword as he watched this. "Finally done ripping the place apart, China?"

"This room is trashed," she grunted. "I'm moving on."

"GRAAAH!" the men yelled as they were tossed every which way. Kagura was apparently wasting no time in making her exit. As for Sogo, he simply turned away and stepped out into the hallway. There was no need to keep the pilots contained anymore. It wasn't long before Kagura leapt out of the room and joined him.

"Man, what a pain," she said, wiping some blood off of her face.

"Tired already?" asked Sogo condescendingly.

"Not even close," she replied.

"Good, because it looks like the guards around here are finally catching onto us…"

Sure enough, a line of Kiheitai swordsmen were now charging down the hallway towards them. "Oh great, more fun," said Kagura with a smile.

Before long she had jumped right back into another fight, and she was sending bodies flying just as easily as before. This time, Sogo actually backed her up, and cut down several enemies himself. The two of them honestly made a good fighting duo when they worked together.

At some point, Sogo called out to his partner while he fought. "Hey China! We broke in and made a ruckus, but tell me something! What's our goal now!?"

Kagura didn't take long to answer. "To find Gin-chan or Tsukky. Doesn't matter which."

Sogo took a second to consider this while he expertly cut down an enemy. "We already know where the boss is," he told her. "We saw him on the monitor, remember?"

"So we should look for him first?" asked Kagura, kicking some guy's face in.

"On the contrary, we should look for your hostage friend. After all, finding the boss won't help us find your friend. We should probably make her our number one priority."

Kagura swiftly dodged a wild sword as she considered this. "I see, that makes sense. Let's look for Tsukky then."

"Well now, that's going to be a problem," Sogo noted. "We're going to have a hard time finding her, since somebody already destroyed the control room."

"Oh, bite me," Kagura replied as she tossed one samurai into another. "We'll just find another way."

"Like how, exactly?" asked Sogo, cutting down more and more enemies. Before long, there was only one left standing.

"Like this," said Kagura, quickly snatching up the last survivor and forcing him against the wall. "Where do you keep your prisoners!?" she demanded.

The terrorist simply clenched his teeth. "Like I'd tell you, stupid bitch…"

"Wrong answer," Kagura growled before kneeing him in the stomach. The man immediately dropped to the floor, completely unconscious.

Sogo just sighed. "So much for that."

Kagura simply cracked her knuckles in response. "We'll find more. Let's go." She immediately took off while Sogo decided to stay behind. He took a moment to inspect the terrorist's unconscious body. He quickly searched it up and down, turning out pockets and the like.

"Perhaps you have a map of the ship or something? Come on…" After a few more seconds of rummaging, he sighed in resignation. He then stood back up with a frown. "Hmph, I guess you grunts were too low to actually hold any crucial information. We'll have to search for someone higher up to get the answers we need." He then glanced down the hallway. "And China is…gone again. Go figure. I guess I should head after her before she gets into more trouble."

Without another word, the samurai ran off down the hall, following in Kagura's footsteps. It was not long, however, before he ran into another group of samurai. This division was smaller than the one that preceded it, but it quickly swarmed the rogue Shinsengumi officer. Sogo just raised his sword up in mild surprise. Didn't they run into China? he wondered. They must have missed her somehow. Oh well, I guess they're my problem now. Damn it…

Meeting the attackers head on, Sogo sliced the first line of men right across the stomach…

"Where'd that damn sadist go?" Kagura grunted as she slammed an oncoming enemy into the wall. Little did she know, she had accidently left him behind in her rush to find Tsukky. Not that it mattered though, as she was easily clearing through another wave of enemies. She managed to knock all of them out with simple kicks and punches. These humans were apparently too weak to handle the full strength of a determined Yato teenager.

However, just as Kagura shoved the last terrorist's face into the floor, a voice called out to her. "Ah, so there you are," it said. It had come from the end of the hallway, where another hallway intersected through it. Kagura quickly turned around to find a man standing there at the intersection, holding a pipe up to his lips.

"You've made a real mess, haven't you?" asked Takasugi with a grin.

Kagura just froze as she stared at him. She vaguely recognized this man. It had been long before, back when she had invaded an enemy ship during the Benizakura crisis. She had stood face to face with him right before his underlings had captured her. It was all coming back to her now. His long dark hair. His purple kimono. His wicked smile. And his name…

Kagura glared at him. "You're Takasugi, right?"

Takasugi fondly continued smiling at her. "That's correct. And you're Kagura, I presume?"

Kagura didn't respond, but instead clenched her teeth. He knows my name…

Takasugi calmly acknowledged her silence with a nod before reaching into his kimono and retrieving his kiseru. He then casually lit it, as if he were unafraid of the Yato that stood a short distance away from him. This only managed to piss Kagura off.

"So you're the one who captured Tsukky?" she asked, trying to gather her thoughts.

"You mean Tsukuyo?" he asked pleasantly. "Oh yeah, I've got her."

Kagura clenched her teeth once more. This guy's nonchalant attitude was truly making her blood boil. Why wasn't he taking her seriously? Did he honestly believe that the distance between them was enough to keep him safe from an unexpected attack? Kagura considered all of this with a glare.

"Where is Tsukky?" she demanded.

Takasugi slowly exhaled from his pipe before staring at her. "Can't say."

Kagura decided to take a threatening step forward. "Tell me," she breathed.

Takasugi simply grinned at her once more. "Foolish girl. If you want to know where Tsukuyo is, you'll have to come and beat it out of me."

The moment he was finished speaking, Kagura took a deep breath. "Easy enough," she whispered. In the instant that followed after that, Kagura pounced towards the man. Arms outstretched like claws, she closed the distance between them immediately. However, just as she was about to attack, a shadow off to the right caught her eye. Eyes widening in fear, she already knew it was too late.

Abuto jumped out from the right hallway and slammed his fist right into the back of Kagura's neck. The girl immediately fell to the floor and landed on all fours. Grunting in pain, she saw another shadow dart out from the left. This time it was the lolicon, Takechi, and he was holding a pair of handcuffs. Wasting no time, he dove down and clamped them on the girl's ankles. Takasugi merely grinned as he watched this all happen.

Meanwhile, Kagura was beginning to panic. She had already realized her mistake. She had been goaded into this sneak attack, and the situation was getting worse by the second. Trying her best to recover, she managed to get back on her feet. She tried to swing at the nearby lolicon, but he ducked out of the way. Tripping over her own feet due to the newly placed handcuffs, Kagura lost her balance and began falling forward.

Can't I break those things!? she wondered desperately as she fell to the floor. It was too late to try though, because Abuto was already right back on top of her. With graceful ease, the experienced Yato kicked the girl back-first into a nearby wall. Wincing in pain, Kagura slid down to the floor.

Before she knew it, the lolicon was back again with a second pair of handcuffs. This time, he slapped them on her wrists. Now with both arms and legs confined, movement was nearly impossible. The struggle was over; Kagura had lost.

Smiling in victory, Abuto walked over and rested the bottom of his boot on the top of Kagura's head. He then leaned over her. "Man, that was almost too easy."

Kagura just clenched her teeth as she tried to break the handcuffs with her superhuman strength. Needless to say, it didn't work. Damn it! I just completely fell for their trap! How could I be so stupid!?

Takechi just crossed his arms as he looked down at the immobilized girl. "So what do we do with her now, Shinsuke-dono?"

Takasugi, as always, just grinned while he exhaled from his pipe. "Let's go ahead and agree to her request. Go take her to where Tsukuyo is."

Sogo's eyes widened as he retracted his head from around the corner. He didn't think that anybody had noticed him. Waiting for a moment, he took a deep breath before peeking around the corner once more. The adjacent hallway was littered with unconscious bodies, and at the end of it stood Takasugi and his crew. As Sogo continued watching, Abuto went ahead and threw Kagura over his shoulder. The three men then walked off in another direction, taking the girl with them.

Damn it, China he cursed. Why can't you think anything through?

Sogo retracted his head once more with a sigh. He then reconsidered his options. After he had finished dealing with the small wave of enemies from before, he ran down the path that Kagura had taken. When he had started to near the hallway that she was in, he ended up stopping in his tracks. He heard two voices speaking from that hallway, and that had caught his attention. Playing it cautiously, he had simply glanced around the corner just in time to watch Kagura's failed attempt at an attack. And after a few seconds, she had been easily captured. Now Sogo was on his own to decide what to do next.

I don't think I can go after her he thought with a frown. Takasugi is too dangerous, and that other guy is a Yato. That would be too much for me to handle alone. Even if I chose to lay low and tail them, I'd run the risk of getting discovered by one of the numerous guards passing by…So what should I do now?

Hmm…the control room should be completely out of commission at this point. That means that they won't be able to track where I am unless they spot me. Which means…

Sogo took a second to glance down the hallway. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't being watched.

It means that I have two options at this point. I can either move on alone or go into hiding.

Sogo rested a hand on his chin as he considered this. Moving on alone would require overcoming all other obstacles by myself. I could try and find the boss or his woman, but I have no idea where to look. And it would be too risky to try. This is honestly too much for me to handle alone…I'm not even that involved with these Odd Jobs people anyway…

On the other hand, going into hiding would allow me to lay in wait so that I can strike at the best opportunity. If they don't know where I am, I can choose to make a surprise attack whenever I want. I could even help the boss if he comes by, or I could possibly even find a way to free China and her friend. It all just comes down to the timing…

Making up his mind, Sogo walked over to a nearby door. Yes, I have to admit it. Remaining hidden is the best option at this point. Sorry boss and China, but that's what I'm going to do for now.

Sogo slowly opened the door to find a small janitor's closet. Amongst the mops, brooms, and cleaning products, there was no one to be found inside. It was unmanned.

Perfect…

"Gin-san, they just keep coming!"

"Then just keep swinging..."

Gintoki and Shinpachi were currently battling through another horde of enemies while some from before were still catching up behind them. With the two of them swinging wildly, more and more enemies fell at their feet as they ran. They hardly stopped for more than a few seconds when they fought someone, as they insisted on moving forward. Needless to say, this situation was a little too intense for the two of them to handle.

"We can't keep running like this!" Shinpachi shouted amongst the noise. "We'll have to fight them at some point!"

"Ugh, fine!" Gintoki shouted back. Whirling around, he sliced open several enemies at once in a wide arc. He then proceeded to retrace his steps with each new slash, attacking several enemies that had once previously stood at his back. His unexpected assault and his breakneck speed had taken them all by surprise.

Even Shinpachi was a little stunned by the sudden change in plans. Also turning around, he followed behind Gintoki in an effort to clear out some of the enemies behind them. Fortunately, there hadn't been that many enemies in front of them to begin with, so they could solely focus on clearing their backside without too much worry about getting closed in.

And that was exactly what Gintoki did. He consistently swung his sword back and forth, and blood flew everywhere. It seemed that nobody could stop this rampaging Shiroyasha.

"I'll finish the lot of you!" he screamed ferociously. All of the terrorists simply cowered in fear. They knew that they were outmatched. And Gintoki, seeing this, did not waste this opportunity. He pounced on them, sword raised…

"Stand aside."

All of a sudden, the group of terrorists was divided in half by someone who had stepped to the front. He quickly raised his sword and blocked Gintoki's incoming attack. Gintoki's eyes widened in surprise. He had not been expecting someone to stop him so easily…

"Did you believe that you were invincible, Shiroyasha?" asked Bansai with a frown.

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he recognized the musician. "You…"

"Recognize me, do you?" Bansai immediately drew his sword back as Gintoki landed on the floor. Their blades then met in a small series of clashes with neither side besting the other. Bansai truly was a worthy opponent.

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi cried out, trying to run to his boss's aid. He didn't make it very far though, before someone else approached him from behind. The newcomer swiftly delivered a blow to the back of Shinpachi's neck. The poor boy quickly collapsed as he lost consciousness.

Gintoki's and Bansai's swords met with a loud clang. Gintoki glanced back in the boy's direction. "Shinpachi, what's going-"

Gintoki froze as he realized who was standing behind him. Smiling in triumph, the newcomer lifted Shinpachi up by the back of his shirt. He then held the boy out in front of him as if he were some sort of prize.

"Hey Gintoki. Long time no see."

Gintoki clenched his teeth in frustration. "Kamui…"

Forcing his sword harder against Bansai's, Gintoki twisted around to get a better look at the Yato. To be honest, he wasn't too surprised to see him. After hearing Katsura's warning, Gintoki had been more than prepared to accept the possibility of meeting him. And at this moment, seeing Kamui hold up Shinpachi's unconscious body with a smile only managed to fill Gintoki with rage.

"Let him go," he muttered in the boy's direction.

"Ah, sorry, can't do that," he said, lightly jostling Shinpachi up and down. "Shinsuke's orders."

Gintoki glared at him. "Bastards, the both of you…"

Kamui snickered a little. "What's that have to do with anything?"

Gintoki just ignored him. Memories of their last fight were already flashing before his eyes. Images of a broken and bloody Tsukuyo began to resurface. This only made him worry about her current situation even more. Gintoki's breathing intensified with rage while his voice dropped to a whisper.

"Do you remember the last warning I gave you after our fight?"

Kamui grinned as he lowered Shinpachi. "Of course I do. You said that you wouldn't hesitate to kill me if you ever saw me again. Isn't that right? Well then, if that's the case, tell me something…what's the hold up, huh?"

Gintoki couldn't take it any longer. This entire situation was blinding him with rage. "I'm going to kill you…"

Kamui raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Gintoki shoved Bansai away as he whipped back around to face the boy. He then charged at him, sword raised. "I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT N-"

Bang! Like Shinpachi, Gintoki was hit from behind. Right in the back of his neck. Kamui simply sidestepped out of the way while Gintoki fell flat on the floor. Gintoki didn't know what was going on. He tried his hardest to move, but couldn't. His body was paralyzed.

"What's…going…on?" he asked, glaring up at Kamui.

"Wow, that was pathetic," the Yato replied with a smile. He then looked away from him. "Hey, thanks a lot, sweetheart. He almost got me there."

Slowly stepping out of the shadows, Matako lowered her gun. She then threw a disgusted look in Kamui's direction. "If you don't stop calling me that, you're going to be the one that gets shotnext."

Bansai calmly walked up to Gintoki while issuing out commands to the remaining terrorists. "All of you go get the wounded treated. After that's done, you can assume your usual positions. As for you, Shiroyasha, you'll be coming with us. Shinsuke has already prepared a nice little place for you."

As Kamui took the liberty of lifting Gintoki off the floor, Matako reached over and pulled the small needle-like object out of Gintoki's neck. "This is a small dose," she told Bansai. "He'll only be paralyzed for about an hour."

"That's more than enough time. Let's get him out of here."

"And where are we taking him?" asked Kamui as he gleefully lifted both men up in the air.

"You already know where Shinsuke wants him," said Bansai coolly as his sunglasses glinted in the hallway light. "Take him to Tsukuyo."

Hey everyone! Sorry for another delayed update. Stuff happens. I'm lazy. You know the whole ordeal by now XD

As for the chapter, I have a few notes on Kamui that I want to discuss. First off, him calling Matako "sweetheart". Yeah, it doesn't really mean anything XD I just had him say that as a way to piss her off. I honestly think that Kamui would get a real kick out of it for some reason. That's just how he is. Although, now that I think about it, I feel like Kamui and Matako might actually make a nice couple. It probably won't happen in my story, but someone should definitely go write a fanfiction on it. Get back to me when that happens XD

Aside from that, my other note is about Kamui's response to Gintoki calling him a bastard. He says "What's that have to do with anything?" simply because…well, he is one and he knows it! XD Yeah, I'm recalling the instance where Kagura heavily suggested that her parents got married because Kamui was conceived (which is absolutely hilarious XD). And if she knows about that, then Kamui probably does too. And I think he's okay with that. He'd much rather laugh it off then get offended by it, don't you think? So that's why he responded the way he did. He simply acknowledged his illegitimacy and laughed. Classic Kamui XD

But anyways, enough about Kamui! Let's get back to my top ten favorite Gintama characters! We're now down to the top five! Here we go:

Number 5: Kamui

Wait, didn't I just say that we were done talking about Kamui? Well guess what, I lied! It's Kamui's time, people! The year of Kamui! Yeah! Woo!

Er, anyways…let me explain why I love him so much. First off, he's absolutely crazy. He'll kill someone for little to no reason, and he'll smile while he does it. He even says that he wants to send people off "with a smile". What an insane bastard! However, at the same time, he's really laid-back and easygoing. He doesn't let much bother him, and usually just goes with the flow. That's so cool! He's so badass! He's strong! He's scary! I almost feel like he's unpredictable sometimes. And it is for all of these reasons that he's one of my favorite villains in all of anime and manga. His crazy yet simple mindset is just so loveable! I can't help it; every time I see Kamui, I get hyped! Aside from all of this, he does have a really good backstory with Umibozu, Kagura, and Hosen. There's a lot of conflict and hurt there, but he still manages to smile like the mentally insane pirate he is. Oh, by the way, he wants to be the Pirate King. Honestly, how can you not love this guy!? Oh Kamui, I hope your smile never fades…Keep on killing people, just for me! Thanks! :)

Anyways, that's enough out of me. Please feel free to leave a review if you wanna and go ahead and look forward to the next chapter. Next time is chapter 50! Wow, we're almost there! Until then, people!