Silver Moon – Book 4 Chapter 4

The next morning, Gintoki and Tsukuyo found themselves sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. They were having toast, mostly because it was something simple that they believed wouldn't upset Tsukuyo's stomach. Nevertheless, Gintoki kept his distance, just in case Kagura's funny idea of a joke just so happened to be true.

As they ate, Gintoki brought up a subject that they had not yet touched upon. "You know, having a kid is going to be really expensive."

"You think?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Of course," he replied. "Do you even know how much it costs just to feed it everyday? It will also need toys and clothes and all sorts of other things."

Tsukuyo thought about how much Hinowa had spent on Seita over the years, and agreed that Gintoki had a point. "So we should start saving up now," Tsukuyo pointed out. "You know, like no more visits to the pachinko parlor."

Gintoki immediately frowned. "Ah, but if I could just hit it big!"

"Has that ever happened before?"

"Well, no…"

"That's what I thought."

Ever since getting married, Tsukuyo had gladly taken control over the Sakata household's finances, a move that in hindsight was probably for the best. "Let's focus on saving for the time being," she insisted.

"Hmph, fine," he agreed, understanding that it was for the best. "In that case, I might as well head off to work."

Finishing his plate, he soon stood up and made his way over to Tsukuyo, giving her a goodbye kiss. "See you later," he told her.

"Have a nice day," she encouraged him.

He just smiled before making his way into the foyer and out of the front door. Tsukuyo just sat there for a moment before she collected the dishes and put them in the sink. She then looked at the clock.

Hmm, I should get going as well…

Later that morning, Tsukuyo traveled over to Yoshiwara, where she gathered together some of her Hyakka subordinates and finally shared the news with them. They were rather excited, to say the least.

"Really, Boss!?"

"A baby!?"

"You're going to be a mom!"

"How exciting!"

"Wow, so you and Gin-san actually did it, huh?"

Tsukuyo simply ignored the last comment and smiled at everyone's positive attitudes. "Glad to know you're okay with it." She then took a moment to quiet them all down. "But that's enough for now. It's time to get to work. Everyone assume your positions. I'll make my daily rounds as usual."

As Tsukuyo finished speaking, she was met with several curious looks from her subordinates. Normally they would have nodded and accepted her command, but for some reason, they seemed totally lost.

"What?" Tsukuyo asked them.

"U-um, Boss," one of them spoke up. "You're still going to…work in your condition?"

Tsukuyo just stared at her. "What condition? You mean my pregnancy?"

The girl simply nodded, and several other members joined her. Tsukuyo frowned at this.

"I don't see why I shouldn't work. Plenty of women keep working even though they're pregnant."

"Yes, well…" The girl soon paused, thinking of how to put this. "The baby…isn't it going to be in danger here?"

"Yeah Boss," another spoke up. "Isn't it a bit dangerous to be running around fighting crime with a baby in your stomach?"

Tsukuyo continued to stare at them with a frown. "I don't see a problem with it. I feel the same as I always do. Besides, the streets are usually pretty quiet. Yoshiwara isn't that dangerous…"

"Yes, but…what if something happens?"

"It's fine, I can handle myself," Tsukuyo insisted.

"Are…are you sure?"

Tsukuyo finally gave a sigh. "Yes, I am. Now can we please get on with the day? I really don't like being lectured by my own subordinates."

The rest of the Hyakka just nervously stared at each other before giving a collective sigh of defeat.

"Okay, Boss…"

"Just please be careful..."

"Call us if you need help…"

Tsukuyo stared at them for another second before finally turning away. Sheesh, what's up with them? Why are they acting so protective? It seems like they're trying to make a big deal out of nothing…It's just work, after all…I do this everyday…

Tsukuyo then looked up to the sky as she started her patrol. It's fine. I can take care of myself…

After a relatively uneventful day at work, Tsukuyo returned back to her home on the surface. As per her usual routine, she announced her presence once she stepped through the door.

"I'm home," she called.

It wasn't long before Gintoki poked his head around the corner and spotted her. "Oh, there you are," he said as he started to approach her. "Where have you been all day?"

Tsukuyo took off her jacket. "Work," she replied.

"Work?" asked Gintoki, a little surprised. "What were you doing there?"

Tsukuyo just gave him a weird look as she walked past him. "Working of course. What else?"

Gintoki stood still for a moment before quickly following her into the kitchen. "Wait a second, what?"

Tsukuyo briefly glanced back at him. "Is something the matter?"

"Tsukuyo," Gintoki called sternly, suddenly reaching out and turning her around to face him. "You went to work today?"

Tsukuyo felt taken aback by this. "Yeah…?"

Gintoki's eyes widened in surprise. "Please tell me that you're not serious…"

Tsukuyo frowned. "Of course I am. What's the big deal?"

Gintoki could suddenly feel himself getting angry at her surprisingly carefree attitude. "What's the big deal?" he repeated. "You're pregnant."

Tsukuyo raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Gintoki felt like he was starting to lose it. "So, that means that you're carrying a baby inside of you right now. Or did you forget that?"

Tsukuyo started to realize where he was going with this, and soon gave a sigh. "Listen, Gintoki. I know what you're about to say. I already heard it from the Hyakka earlier today."

Gintoki paused upon hearing this. "Wait…So you were scolded for this already?"

Tsukuyo stared at him, but nodded.

Gintoki frowned. "And…you still went ahead and worked all day anyway?"

"Yeah…"

Gintoki just closed his eyes for a second before he grabbed both of Tsukuyo's shoulders. "You idiot! What were you thinking!?"

Tsukuyo flinched at this. "W-what?" she stuttered.

"Are you insane!? You were at work all day! In your condition! Unbelievable!"

"What's the problem?" asked Tsukuyo, starting to get defensive.

"What's the problem?" Gintoki repeated, hardly believing her attitude. "How can you not see a problem with this!?"

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth a little. "It was just work. A lot of women work while they're pregnant!"

Gintoki just shook his head in disbelief. "Well, yes Tsukuyo, that is true. But the problem here is that you don't exactly work a desk job…No, you run around all day, patrolling Yoshiwara and fighting crime. Now listen, I understand that you're perfectly capable of handling that yourself, but it's not just about you."

Gintoki pointed at her stomach. "You're pregnant. You need to start accounting for one more."

Tsukuyo wasn't quite sure what to say to this. "Are…are you saying that I can't protect our child while I carry it?"

Gintoki shook his head again. "I'm not saying that, but I definitely think that your job is way too dangerous to be carrying an innocent unborn child along with you. What if you took an injury directly to the stomach? Think about what would happen to the baby!"

Tsukuyo once again felt stumped. "Well, I wouldn't let that happen…"

"It's not always going to be up to you," Gintoki retorted. He then shook his head once more in disapproval. "For goodness sake, Tsukuyo, you really screwed up this time…Honestly, you're really starting to make me worried here."

"What?" she asked, still acting a little defensive.

"I'm worried that you'll end up being too reckless in your current state," Gintoki admitted truthfully. "And I'm worried that your reckless behavior will only end up hurting the baby."

Tsukuyo frowned at him with a slight glare. "Gintoki, don't you think you might be overreacting a little?"

"No, I don't" he replied seriously. "Look, I know that this wasn't your intention, but you really need to start being more careful. Remember what the doctor told us? She said that you might have to restructure your life for the time being to account for the baby. That means you need to stop going to your dangerous job. You also need to stop smoking, and start taking some responsibility for the life inside of you. You need to start acting like a proper parent."

Gintoki then paused while Tsukuyo simply stared at him. Gintoki then turned away from her. "Look, I'm going to be honest here. You and me, we really have no idea what we're doing with this…"

"What do you mean?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Neither of us really have any idea of how to take care of a child," he said quietly. "We don't know how to properly protect it, feed it, raise it, or make it happy. We're completely clueless. Hell, being a parent is a scary thing…"

Tsukuyo didn't know what to say to this. While it had seemed that Gintoki was originally directing most of his words at her, he had just included himself in his own argument. He wasn't claiming that Tsukuyo was the only one who didn't know what they were doing when it came to this new life they would soon be leading. He almost seemed…insecure, to an extent.

"Gintoki," Tsukuyo whispered.

"It's fine," he replied, not looking back. "I'll go make us some dinner. I…need some time to think…"

Without another word, Gintoki walked over to the kitchen utilities and went to work, leaving Tsukuyo to stand some distance away. Not really sure what to say at this point, she simply decided to just excuse herself with a distraught frown…

Tsukuyo ended up closing herself in her bedroom, with a phone in her hand. She decided to do what she always did when she needed advice, and that was to talk to Hinowa. Crawling onto her futon, she got comfortable by sitting down and pulling her legs up against her chest. She then dialed the number and put the phone up to her ear.

It wasn't long before Hinowa answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Hinowa, it's Tsukuyo," the courtesan replied. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Of course, dear," Hinowa said sincerely. "What's on your mind?"

Tsukuyo paused, wondering where to begin. "Well, Gintoki and I…We just had a bit of an argument between us…"

"Oh no," said Hinowa, her voice full of concern. "You two had a fight?"

"Well, it was more of a disagreement," Tsukuyo corrected her.

"Was it serious?"

"No, not really...Although, Gintoki did seem rather angry…"

"Oh my…Are you doing okay?"

Tsukuyo looked off to the side. "Yeah, I'm fine…I just kind of want a second opinion on what we were discussing."

"Of course," Hinowa responded. "Please tell me what happened."

Tsukuyo quickly thought back on the recent events. "Well, I came home tonight and Gintoki started by asking me where I had been. I told him that I had been at work all day, just like always. He then started to get angry with me, because he said that I was putting our unborn child in danger…"

Tsukuyo paused, waiting to hear what Hinowa had to say, but the other end of the line was silent for a while. Eventually, Hinowa did reply, though in a surprised tone.

"Tsukuyo…are you serious? You were here in Yoshiwara today, working with the rest of the Hyakka?"

Tsukuyo didn't necessarily like that reaction. "Yes. Was that…bad?"

Hinowa paused again. "Oh dear…I think I can see Gin-san's point here…"

Tsukuyo just stayed silent, hoping to hear more.

"Listen, Tsukuyo," Hinowa began tentatively. "I think that Gin-san might be right this time around. I mean, you are pregnant right now, you know. And your job of protecting Yoshiwara isn't exactly the safest position to be working in."

"I know," Tsukuyo replied quickly, "but it's just that, I, well…I felt like I could handle it…"

Hinowa paused again, and Tsukuyo could tell that the older woman was trying to explain things to her as gently as possible.

"Tsukuyo, I think I understand how you feel. But I also think that you might need to change your perspective on things. You're pregnant right now, so that means that you have another life to account for at all times. And as the mother of this new life, Tsukuyo, you are charged with protecting it at all costs."

Tsukuyo remained silent as she let all of this sink in on top of what Gintoki had told her earlier. To be honest, it didn't sit well with the girl, and she ended up frowning. She gently placed her free hand on her stomach.

"I…made a mistake, didn't I?"

"I'm afraid you did," Hinowa replied truthfully.

Tsukuyo felt her heart plummet in sadness. "Oh…"

"It's okay, though," said Hinowa quickly. "No mom is perfect. You'll make plenty of mistakes in your lifetime."

"But still," said Tsukuyo, "I was being careless…"

"Oh, don't worry about it too much," Hinowa tried to encourage her. "There was no harm done this time around, so it's fine. But still, you need to start preparing yourself for your new role as a mom. Expect to start taking it easy from now on, okay?"

"I see," said Tsukuyo, still frowning. "Thanks, Hinowa. I should probably go now. I think I need to apologize to Gintoki…"

"I think that might be a good idea," Hinowa agreed. "I'll let you go then. And Tsukuyo, as always, I'll be here for you. Please feel free to call me again if you ever need anything, all right?"

"Yeah, I know," Tsukuyo replied. "Thanks again."

Finishing up their goodbyes, Tsukuyo hung up and then put the phone down. For some reason, after talking to Hinowa, the whole situation suddenly seemed clear to Tsukuyo. She soon felt overcome with regret and remorse.

I was being naïve…I should have been more concerned with the safety of our child. I should have prioritized it over my own selfish choices…Honestly, what was I thinking?

A little bit later, Tsukuyo slowly snuck into the kitchen, only to find Gintoki preparing that night's meal. She stared at him with a frown, and then gave a sigh.

"Gintoki," she called quietly.

He stopped what he was doing, and turned around to look at her. He remained silent.

Tsukuyo took a deep breath. "Look, I did some thinking, and looking back on it, I…think that you may have a point…What I did today, it was a mistake. I shouldn't have gone to work in my condition…"

Tsukuyo then looked down at the floor. "You were right. I was being reckless and careless, and that could have put our baby in danger…It was honestly just a stupid and naïve mistake on my part…"

Tsukuyo then paused, and glanced at Gintoki, who still remained silent. Tsukuyo just gave another sigh.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…well, I'm sorry for what I did. And I promise that I won't do it again. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep our child safe and I…I just want you to know that…"

Tsukuyo paused once more. "Gintoki…can you forgive me?"

Gintoki continued to stare at her in silence, but eventually gave a smile. "You finally understand, do you? Well, that was rather quick. Usually, you're a lot more stubborn about these things…"

Gintoki then did something that Tsukuyo did not expect. He walked over to her and slowly pulled her into a hug. "Of course I forgive you."

Tsukuyo just let herself sit in his arms. She didn't know when, but at some point in time, this had become the most comfortable place in the world for her.

"I'm sorry for being so dumb," she apologized quietly.

"It's okay," he assured her. "We all make stupid mistakes."

"I promise I'll make this right."

"I know you will."

Tsukuyo sniffed a little, trying not to accidentally let any tears slip out. She then backed out of Gintoki's arms a little, and gave him a smile.

"Gintoki…Thanks."

Well, that was a sweet little chapter, wasn't it? I hope you enjoyed. I don't know why, but I can easily imagine Tsukuyo initially being stubborn about changing her life around. And then of course, the rather protective Gintoki would help bring her to her senses. That's what kind of made this chapter come about.

Not sure what to say about the chapter, other than I hope it didn't feel too repetitive with Tsukuyo getting lectured three times for the same thing XD I guess you could call this the "wake-up call" chapter for Tsukuyo. Also, Gintoki and Tsukuyo's first argument? Eh, probably not XD

That's about it for now! Please feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter! Next time, Tsukuyo reflects on the past! I guess I'll see you then!

P.S. Blaster-Man, I like the names. A LOT ;)