Thank you to everyone who reads my story! Thank you to all who follow, favorite, and review! You're the reason that I feel encouraged to keep writing, so thank you! Now please enjoy the final chapter of Book 3!
Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 24
A few days later, Tsukuyo found that she now had her hospital room all to herself. As promised, Kagura had been allowed to check out as soon as her injuries healed, which took almost no time at all. Several of the others had also checked out, leaving just Gintoki, Tsukuyo, and Sakamoto behind.
Tsukuyo smiled a little at this. As it turned out, Sakamoto had apparently survived several gunshot wounds, which would naturally take time to heal. And of course, as fate would have it, he was put in a room with Gintoki, much to the silver-haired samurai's annoyance.
Tsukuyo took a moment to stare out the window and watch the setting sun. She then frowned as she looked over to the nearby clock. She soon looked away and gave a sigh.
Well, today's the day, and it looks like I'm stuck here…
Tsukuyo closed her eyes.
The day Gintoki and I were supposed to get married…
It was true. Before all of the crazy terrorist attacks and kidnappings had taken place, Gintoki and Tsukuyo had originally planned on getting married on the current date. And while the two of them had agreed to postpone it for obvious reasons, Tsukuyo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with her situation.
She suddenly opened her eyes. Ah, just get over it she told herself. So what if you can't have the wedding today? You don't care much for that sort of thing anyway. It's just a requirement for marriage. Nothing to get excited about, really…
Just then, the door slammed open, and Tsukuyo nearly jumped out of her bed. She then glanced over to the doorway, only to find Gintoki standing there.
"Hey Tsukuyo," he said casually.
"Ah, Gintoki!" she shouted, startled. "What the hell!? Don't just barge in like that!"
Gintoki looked confused. "Why? Were you undressing or something?"
"No!" she replied defensively.
"Then what the hell are you blushing for?"
"None of your business!"
"All right," said Gintoki with a shrug, dropping the subject. "Sorry if the intrusion was sudden, but I just had to get away from 'Ah ha ha ha ha' for a while."
Tsukuyo took a deep breath in order to calm herself. There was really no reason for her to be so flustered right now. "Fair enough."
"Tell me," said Gintoki suddenly, "how do you feel?"
"How do I feel?" she repeated. "Um, fine I guess."
"Are your injuries giving you any trouble?" he persisted.
"It's nothing too bad," she replied. She then paused and took a closer look at Gintoki. She had just realized that he was no longer wearing his hospital clothes, but had apparently switched into his classic white yukata. "What's up with you?" she asked, gesturing to his outfit.
Gintoki looked down at himself, then grinned at her. "Get ready to go somewhere," he said. "If you feel all right, then we're sneaking out of here."
Tsukuyo looked confused. "Sneaking out? What for?"
"I have a surprise for you," he replied smoothly.
Tsukuyo stared at him for another moment, but then smiled. "A surprise, huh?"
"That's right."
"Care to tell me what it is?"
"You'll see when we get there," he assured her.
Tsukuyo just rolled her eyes, already having an inkling of what was going on. Nevertheless, she decided to play along. "Very well, let's go."
Before long, the couple had successfully sneaked out of the hospital without raising any alarm. They knew that somebody would frantically be searching for them soon, and that they would get scolded by the nurses when they got back, but they didn't really care. Tsukuyo just placed her hand in Gintoki's as he led the way. They walked through street after street, before eventually arriving at a grand building.
"Say, is this some sort of chapel?" asked Tsukuyo as she stared up at it. "Or, I don't know, perhaps a wedding hall or something?"
Gintoki just stared at her with his dead fish eyes and a frown. "You knew?"
"Of course," said Tsukuyo, crossing her arms. "Today is the day that we were supposed to be married, you know."
"Right…" he replied. "Well, at least try to act surprised, for everyone else's sake."
Tsukuyo smiled at this. "Hmph, fine."
Gintoki smiled back at her. He then grabbed her hand as he pushed the large door open and led her inside. Tsukuyo, despite already being somewhat prepared to face the hall, was still taken aback by what she saw.
The hall was brightly lit, with several white rays focusing on a decorated altar. The walls were covered with silver ribbons and banners, and violets placed in vases could be seen sitting along the base. Several rows of benches sat before the altar, most of which were empty, waiting to be filled. As for the guests, they were all congregated around the door, waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom. And naturally, Tsukuyo was surprised by how many people had showed up. All of their beloved friends, along with the entirety of the Hyakka, and surprisingly enough, even some of the Shinsengumi. They all smiled at the couple as they walked in.
"Gintoki," said Tsukuyo, almost speechless, "what is all this?"
"It's a wedding," he said. "Our wedding."
"But why does everything look so…stunning?"
"This is the wedding that you and Hinowa planned, remember?"
Tsukuyo thought back on it, and honestly remembered leaving most of the details up to Hinowa to decide. She had never really cared much for the thought of a dazzling wedding. But at the same time, she had never imagined that her own ceremony would look so grand.
"This is beautiful…" she whispered.
"I'm glad you like it, Tsukuyo," said Hinowa as she wheeled herself up to the courtesan. We all worked really hard to make everything look nice for you."
"We helped!" yelled Kagura and Seita from the crowd of people.
Tsukuyo stared at her friend, and started to feel a couple tears welling up in her eyes as Hinowa smiled at her. Before she knew it, Tsukuyo had leaned down and pulled Hinowa into a hug.
"Thank you so much," she said sincerely. "It looks perfect. It's more than good enough for someone like me."
"Oh, Tsukuyo, don't be ridiculous," Hinowa told her. "You deserve a nice wedding. We all wanted to jump in and help to make sure you got that."
"You're too kind," said Tsukuyo, finally letting her go. She then wiped her eyes clean as Gintoki walked up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"So, be honest, are you ready to get married?" he asked sincerely.
Tsukuyo turned around to face him completely. "Right here, right now?"
"Well, everyone was already in the area, and it honestly felt like a waste to put it off any longer…Besides, we originally planned to get married on this day anyway, right?"
Tsukuyo stared at him for a second, only to watch his smile turn into a frown as he gave a sigh.
"Look," he continued, "I'm sorry if this is kind of sudden and unexpected, or if this didn't turn out the way you wanted it to-"
"Gintoki," Tsukuyo softly interrupted him. "I don't care about any of that. You know I don't," she said with a smile. "All we need is the two of us together to make this wedding truly special. Besides, this wedding is already more magnificent than I would have ever imagined…"
Tsukuyo then surprisingly pulled Gintoki in for a kiss, a move that he was honestly not expecting. As they pulled away, Tsukuyo stared at him. "I love you," she whispered. "Let's get married."
As Gintoki stared at her, he felt a little lost. She was the one who was supposed to be surprised by all of this, so why did he suddenly feel like he was one step behind?
Ah, who gives a damn? he thought carelessly with a smile.
"Let's get married," he agreed, gently holding her.
Just then, the on-looking crowd let out a huge "AWWWW" at the sight of the loving couple. That is, save for a few troublemakers, who actually found the scene rather funny. Sakamoto even threw out an "Ah ha ha!"
Naturally, the couple simultaneously blushed, almost having forgotten that they were standing in front of a group of people. At the same time, Gintoki threw a glare at the snickering Hijikata.
Before long, preparations were quickly being made for the imminent ceremony. Gintoki had been pulled away by the guys in order to help him get dressed. Likewise, Tsukuyo was pulled away by the girls.
Gintoki found himself in a room off to the side of the hall, where he soon found clothes being thrown at him.
"Here, put this tuxedo on, Gin-san!" said Shinpachi.
"Yeah, and take stupid yukata off," said Hijikata calmly. "You look like you just got out of bed."
"Who asked you!?" Gintoki replied angrily as he started to strip.
"Say," Sakamoto chimed in, "you'll be needing a tie with that suit, Kintoki! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
"It's Gintoki, damn it!"
"You know what will make you look cooler boss?" asked Sogo casually. "You should strap a sword to your waist. I'll bet your warrior of a bride would like that."
"No, no," interrupted Hasegawa. "Gintoki here is just going for a casual look. I think that just a pair of sunglasses will do."
"He doesn't need either of those things!" Shinpachi yelled at them. He then threw some dress shoes at Gintoki. "Here Gin-san, you'll need these too."
"Right, right," said Gintoki as he pulled a dark pair of dress pants on. He then paused as he felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Katsura staring at him from behind a pair of disguise glasses, complete with fake nose and mustache attached.
"Ahem," he said, clearing his throat. "Pardon me Gintoki, but would you allow me the honor of marrying you off to your bride?"
Gintoki just stared at Katsura like he was crazy. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Why, it's me, your old friend, Fruit Punch Reverend."
"What kind of reverend is that!?"
"Hey, Yorozuya," Kondo chimed in. "Why didn't you say that you needed a reverend at the last second? As chief of the Shinsengumi, I'm licensed in this sort of thing! I'd be more than happy to marry you off!"
"Wouldn't you be better off in the zoo marrying off a gorilla!?"
"Ooh!" exclaimed Sakamoto. "Let me do it for you, Kintoki! It's the least I could do for an old friend! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
"If you did it, my bride would be married off to some other guy named 'Kintoki' instead of me!"
"Well I could always do it," volunteered Hasegawa. "I'll just recite the vows from when I got married." He then took a moment to scratch his chin. "I think it went something like this and that…"
"You don't even remember your own vows!"
"Please Gintoki," Katsura continued. "I insist as your friend, Fruit Punch Reverend!"
"Shut up! Stop saying that ridiculous name, Zura!"
"It's not Zura, it's Katsura!"
Suddenly, the Shinsengumi perked up. "Eh, Katsura…?"
Katsura froze. "Oh no! My disguise was ruined!"
Elizabeth, who was also wearing disguise glasses, held up a sign. 'You're the reason it failed!'
The Shinsengumi quickly reached for their swords. "Is it true!? Katsura is here!?"
"No, no, this is Fruit Punch Reverend," Katsura insisted.
"KATSURRRAAA!"
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Gintoki bellowed. "BEHAVE YOURSELVES, OR I'LL KICK ALL YOUR ASSESS!"
Meanwhile, Tsukuyo found herself in a mess of her own. She had managed to change into the wedding dress that Hinowa had brought for her, but the other women felt like a lot of adjustments needed to be made.
"Oh, Tsukuyo," Hinowa whined. "I'm not sure how nice you're going to look with all those bandages covering your body…"
"It's fine," Tsukuyo insisted. "It's not like everything has to be perfect or anything."
"But it's your big day!" Hinowa replied. "Of course it has to be perfect!"
Tsukuyo could feel a sweat drop slide down her head. "For who's sake?"
"Boss!" the Hyakka called out. "Where do you plan on storing your kunai in that dress?"
"I…don't think I'll be needing any kunai…"
"But what if Gin-chan acts like an idiot during the ceremony?" asked Kagura. "Don't you want to have something to pierce his forehead?"
"A true warrior should always be armed," noted Kyuubei, "no matter the circumstances."
"But this is just a ceremony, Kyuubei," Otae explained. "It's not like it's a battlefield or anything."
"Oh, I don't know about that," said Sachan slyly. "There could always be…assassins, in the crowd…"
"Why don't you just go assassinate yourself or something, you desperate masochist freak?" asked Catherine coldly.
"What the hell did you just say!?"
"I think she's suggesting that it's a little late to be earning Gintoki-sama's love," Tama chimed in.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Sachan shouted back. "I guarantee that I'll be Gintoki's second wife! For sure!"
"What happened to the first wife?" asked Tsukuyo with a frown.
"She was kidnapped by a terrorist and left for dead," said Sachan seriously.
Just then, Otose came out of nowhere and smacked the shinobi right on the back of the head. "Hey, be a little more considerate to this sweet girl! She's been through a lot!" Otose then proceeded to start comically stomping on the ninja while she was down, an action that Catherine gladly joined in on.
Tsukuyo just watched this with her mouth open, speechless.
"Gin-san does seem to have some rather…interesting friends, doesn't he?" asked Hinowa in the kindest tone possible.
"Y-yeah…" Tsukuyo replied.
After the couple was properly prepared, they somehow found themselves standing at the altar, with everyone else sitting in their seats. Things had rushed by so fast since their arrival at the hall, that Gintoki and Tsukuyo could hardly believe where they were standing right now. It felt surreal, to say the least.
Before them stood a reverend who worked at the hall and was a licensed professional. Katsura and the others had felt somewhat deflated at not having been chosen, but Gintoki had at least allowed Katsura the opportunity to stand at the altar next to him, along with Shinpachi and Sakamoto. As for Tsukuyo, she had Hinowa and Kagura happily standing by her.
Gintoki stole a glance at Tsukuyo before the proceeding began, only to find her blushing. She stared back at him for a moment, causing him to also blush and look away.
Why does this feel so embarrassing? he wondered. It's just a wedding. Get over it…
Suddenly, the reverend cleared his throat. "Ahem, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join both Gintoki and Tsukuyo in matrimony. Through love these two have come together to provide an official declaration of their commitment. And while I do not personally know them very well, I think that I can safely assume that they will be very happy together…"
The reverend then paused, and gave a shrug. "Eh, I don't really know. All I do know is that this man Gintoki came up begging me to perform this ceremony tonight for a small sum of cash, and well, I just can't turn down a work request, can I? And so that is why we are here today…"
As the reverend went on, Gintoki glared at him. What's up with this half-assed ceremony!? Is this reverend even trying!? Why does he have to include every little detail!?
"Er, anyways," the reverend continued, "does anyone have a reason why these two should not be wed?"
Sachan looked like she was about to stand up and say something for a second, when Tsukuyo quickly looked back and shot her a death glare. Sachan soon decided against it.
"Very well then. Let us move on to the vows."
Gintoki and Tsukuyo took a moment to face each other, and slowly reached out and joined hands.
"Gintoki," said the reverend, "repeat after me. I, Gintoki, take you, Tsukuyo, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."
Gintoki repeated the vow exactly as he was told, trying his best to be calm about it. Before long, Tsukuyo also recited her vows. She stumbled over a few words, but still managed to make it through without feeling too nervous.
"The bride and groom will now exchange rings," the reverend announced. "Followed by an exchange of sake, to show the strength of their promise."
As Gintoki reached over to get his wedding ring from Shinpachi, he leaned closer and asked, "Did you do as I asked?"
"Don't worry, we watered it down as planned," the boy assured him. "She'll barely even taste it."
Gintoki breathed a small sigh of relief. Everyone knew that Tsukuyo completely lost her composure when it came to anything alcohol related. By watering down the drink, Gintoki had been optimistically hoping to avoid that.
Gintoki and Tsukuyo exchanged their silver rings as promised while the reverend poured their sake into small cups. He then handed the cups over to the participants, who simultaneously downed the contents. As Gintoki pulled the cup away from his mouth, he looked over to Tsukuyo. Did it work?
"Heh heh heh…"
To Gintoki's utter horror, Tsukuyo's cheeks had went from being a nervous blush to a rosy color. Her posture also started to slack, and a grin appeared on her face as she hiccupped.
"Hey, Gintoki, you didn't hic tell me that there would be drinks at this party, you naughty boy…"
Gintoki and Shinpachi's mouths fell open in shock. Shit! It didn't work!
"Hey, reverend!" Gintoki called quietly. "This is looking bad! Hurry up and finish this thing up, would ya!?"
Just then, Gintoki heard something shatter, only to look over and find that Tsukuyo had thrown her sake cup right at his forehead. The reverend immediately fell over unconscious.
"Whoops, it hic slipped right out of my hand…" said Tsukuyo lazily. She suddenly reached out and grabbed the bottle of sake that was sitting nearby. She soon started downing it merrily.
Gintoki snatched it away from her as soon as he could and set it aside. He then grabbed her by the shoulders in order to hold her in place.
"Hey, where're you hic touchin me, you pervert…?"
"Shit, can't anybody finish this for us before things get too out of hand?" asked Gintoki as he stared at the fallen reverend.
Just then, Katsura swooped in, wearing disguise glasses and all, and stood where the previous reverend had. "By the power vested in me, Fruit Punch Reverend, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!"
"Got it!" said Gintoki, not asking questions and not wasting time. He immediately pulled Tsukuyo in and locked lips with her as he heard the crowd cheer beyond them. He would have liked to enjoy the moment, but he knew he only had so much time before Tsukuyo went on a rampage.
As they pulled away, Tsukuyo stared at him with a mischievous grin. "Heh heh heh, hey, Gintoki, you should have hic told me that that was what you wanted…Should I hic take my clothes off now?"
"What!?" asked Gintoki, startled.
"Don't worry, I can hic take yours off for you…"
"Tsukuyo, calm down! What're you talking abo-"
Gintoki's words were cut short as Tsukuyo forcefully grabbed him by his tie and pulled him closer, kissing him once again.
"Um," said Katsura awkwardly, "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Sakata!" The exclamation was met with a grand applause.
"You're a hic good kisser, you bastard…"
Once the wedding was over, the party moved over to the room next door, where the reception was being held. There was plenty of food and drinks, which the guests happily helped themselves to. Tsukuyo herself decided it best to drink some more alcohol, despite Gintoki's insistence that she stop. Things quickly turned chaotic from there, with Tsukuyo making a rather loud commotion. At one point, she ended up with both Katsura and Sakamoto in strong headlocks, and she swung them around merrily.
"What this?" asked Sakamoto with a smile. "Fun with the bride? Ah ha ha ha ha!"
"Tsukuyo, unhand me!" shouted Katsura. "Have you no shame? I thought you were a married woman now!"
"I'm just hic havin some fun," she said lazily.
Just then, Ikumatsu appeared before the three of them, and gave Tsukuyo a serious look. "Don't you think you ought to let them go, Tsukuyo-san?"
Tsukuyo frowned for a moment, before roughly pushing the two men away. "Fine, go hic play with your Zura," she told her. "Besides, I've got my hic own man, anyways…" Tsukuyo then turned to Gintoki who stood across the room, and gave him a smug grin.
Gintoki just cringed as he watched her. He then sighed before softly smiling to himself. Well, this is the woman that I chose to marry he thought. No doubt she'll feel really embarrassed about all of this when it's over. She'll probably have to send out apologies instead of thank you cards…
Gintoki shook his head as he dismissed the thought and downed the drink that was in his hand. When he lowered his cup, he suddenly noticed that there was someone standing next to him.
"Enjoying your wedding?" asked Otose as she exhaled from her cigarette. "Your bride certainly seems to be."
Gintoki stared at her for a moment, before he went back to watching Tsukuyo's rampage. "Yeah…"
"Should I have not supplied alcohol for the occasion?"
"Nah, Tsukuyo just has a really low tolerance for the stuff. One sip is enough to send her wild."
"I see," said Otose, pausing for a moment. "Still, you don't have any regrets, I take it?"
"None," said Gintoki, shaking his head. "Well, aside from the scolding we'll be getting when we go back to the hospital tomorrow."
"Hmph, you're a complete idiot, through and through."
Gintoki didn't respond, and silence fell between them. After a while, Gintoki turned to his landlord. "Say, Gran, back when we were escaping from the terrorists, I heard that it was you who told Gengai to send a rescue party for us."
"Oh?" asked Otose, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, I suppose I ought to thank you for saving our asses back there. We might not be here right now if it weren't for you."
"I doubt it," Otose replied. "You're pretty crafty, even at the worst of times. You'd have figured something out."
Gintoki gave her a smirk. "Oh yeah? Since when did you start thinking so highly of me?"
Otose simply matched his smirk as she brought her cigarette back to her lips. "Congratulations on your wedding, Gintoki. Now listen, before you leave, let me offer you some advice."
Gintoki stared at her. "I'm listening."
"Go easy on your bride tonight," she said with a wink. "She's still injured, after all."
Gintoki was surprised to hear this, but soon found himself smiling. "Hey now, I'm injured too, you know…"
Out of nowhere, Tsukuyo suddenly popped up in front of the two of them. Gintoki almost jumped out of fright. Tsukuyo just stared at him with glazed over eyes.
"Hey, hic Gintoki, are you talking with another woman? I thought that you'd be hic mine for life, you hustler…"
"What?" asked Gintoki. "Hustler? A hustler? Me, a hustler!? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Prrrooove it, then," Tsukuyo slurred. "Don't you owe me hic some fun tonight?"
"Tsukuyo, er, honey, shouldn't that wait until later?" asked Gintoki in a pleading tone.
"Oh, don't try to hic back out now, darling," Tsukuyo warned him. "You're stuck with me forever…"
"Are sure about this?" asked Gintoki desperately. "I mean, you probably won't even remember any of this come tomorrow morning!"
"What's the matter?" asked Tsukuyo as she reached out and grabbed Gintoki by his hair. "Don't you hic want to see me naked? Come on…"
"Ow ow ow! Stop tugging!" Gintoki whined as Tsukuyo forcefully pulled him away.
"Heh heh heh, Gintoki, you're such a pervert…"
"You're drunk!" Gintoki shouted back, only to have Tsukuyo tug on his hair even harder.
"Come on, let's hic go back to your place," Tsukuyo insisted. "You lecherous pervert you…"
And with that, Tsukuyo dragged Gintoki out of the hall to wherever she pleased. The rest of the guests simply watched in both sympathy and amusement as they bid the couple farewell. It was best not to interfere, after all. Not with this love, anyway.
Book 3 End
Well, I did it! Book 3 is finally over, and the wedding is complete! This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write. Who knew that inserting drunk Tsukuyo would be so amusing? XD But yes, plenty of fun and comedic moments all around. By the way, a quick thank you to ahsoei for suggesting the idea of Gintoki's friends fighting over who gets to be the reverend. I had fun with it XD
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and Book 3 in general. It took me way longer to write than it should have, but we made it. We actually made it. So now…what comes next?
Well, Book 4, of course! XD
That's right, with the wedding out of the way, we're moving on to the next part of the story. And I'm sure you'd all like to know what it's going to be about…Well, too bad! I'm keeping it a secret! Hehehe…But seriously, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the first chapter of Book 4 comes out before I provide a teaser summary. Although, I think that you all have some kind of idea about what Book 4 will focus on…
So, I guess that's it until then! As soon as I have an outline prepared, I'll start working on the first chapter. In the meantime, please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter, and Book 3 as a whole. Also please let me know what you're expecting from Book 4! I'd love to know :) Thanks for the support! See you all in the next arc!