Silver Moon – Book 4 Chapter 8

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Tsukuyo stepped out into the hallway. She then frantically glanced back and forth before quickly walking in the right direction.

Tsukuyo was currently in the hospital. After she had received the phone call from Otose, she had hurried to this spot as fast as she could. She then rode the elevator up to the specified floor before arriving in her current position.

Eventually, the courtesan turned a corner and found the room she was looking for. She could tell it was the right one, because Otose, Kagura, and Shinpachi were sitting on a bench right outside of it. They soon looked up.

"Tsukuyo-san!"

"Tsukky!"

"I'm here," she told them. "How is he?"

Otose just shook her head and crossed her arms. "Bad, I presume. They haven't told us anything to make us think otherwise."

Tsukuyo walked up to the room, and stopped, staring at the closed door. She then gently laid a hand on it. She really wanted to just open it and check on her husband, but she knew that it would probably just disturb the work being done inside.

Tsukuyo continued to stand there for a moment, with a sad look on her face and a hand on the door. Before long, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Otose there.

"Here, come take a seat," she said, gesturing to the bench. "Let's just stay calm until they give us some news."

Tsukuyo slowly nodded. "Okay…"

She did as she was told and took a seat right in between Shinpachi and Kagura. The latter gently rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. In response, Tsukuyo just stared at the floor with a frown.

"Explain to me what happened again," Tsukuyo requested. "Tell me the details."

"Well, we honestly don't really know that much," said Shinpachi quietly.

"Yeah," said Kagura. "All we know is that he was with me and Gran in the snack house, and then soon after he left, he was found in a dark alley."

"He's in bad condition," said Otose solemnly. "He's currently unable to speak, and both of his wrists have been broken. It's truly terrible…"

Tsukuyo continued to stare at the floor as she listened to this. She anxiously clasped her hands together. "Who attacked him?" she asked.

The other three went quiet for a moment.

"We honestly don't know," said Shinpachi. "Gin-san was found alone in that alley. Whoever did this to him must have made a getaway."

Tsukuyo started to feel a couple of tears well up in her eyes. "So, somebody just attacked Gintoki, out of the blue and for no reason, and then just disappeared?"

"I'm afraid so," the boy replied quietly.

Tsukuyo couldn't help it anymore. A few tears slid down her cheeks. "G-Gintoki…" she whispered.

Kagura sadly rubbed her shoulder some more. "Aw, don't cry, Tsukky…"

"I…I can't help it," she replied. "Poor Gintoki…I feel so bad for him…And on top of that, this trip to the hospital might affect our financial situation. We're supposed to be saving up money to support a baby right now, and I can't work. What are we supposed to do about money?"

"Oh, relax, dear," said Otose in the most soothing tone she could muster. "Don't even worry about that. If worst comes to worst, the rest of us would be more than happy to help support you during this stressful time. Trust me, we'll make sure that money is the last of your concerns."

Tsukuyo looked up at her as some more tears fell. "Otose…thank you so much…"

"Aw, don't worry about it," Otose told her. The old lady then handed the courtesan a handkerchief.

Tsukuyo gladly took it and started to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not sure why I'm crying. I think my emotions might be being affected by the baby."

"It's perfectly understandable, Tsukuyo-san," Shinpachi reassured her.

"Yeah, when you're sad, you should cry, right?" said Kagura with a comforting smile.

Tsukuyo gave them both looks of gratitude, when suddenly, the door to Gintoki's hospital room opened. A single doctor stepped out, and then closed the door behind him. He then turned to those waiting outside.

"Is one of you Mrs. Sakata?" he questioned.

"That would be me," said Tsukuyo, quickly standing up. "How is Gintoki?"

"He's going to be okay," the doctor told her calmly. "Right now, he's in a stable condition."

Tsukuyo relaxed a little upon hearing this. This felt like a huge relief.

"However, he's going to need a lot of rest. Right now, his broken wrists allow him little to no use of his hands. As for his throat, its been severely crushed and he is unable to speak. I can't stress enough that these wounds are very serious."

Tsukuyo frowned and slowly nodded at this. "I understand."

The doctor then lightly smiled. "The good news is, he is expected to make a full recovery. All he'll need is time and treatment. Trust us, he's in good hands. I'm sure he'll be up and talking before too long."

Tsukuyo smiled at this. "Thank goodness, that's such a relief."

The doctor then gestured to the door behind him. "You may come in and see him now, if you'd like."

Tsukuyo quickly nodded. "Yes, please."

In response, the doctor simply opened the door and then stepped out of the way. "Go ahead."

Tsukuyo prepared herself by taking a deep breath, and then entered the room. However, she soon stopped in her tracks when she saw him. Slowly putting a hand up to her mouth, she suddenly felt like breaking down again. It took almost everything she had to hold back her tears.

Gintoki was currently asleep, but all of his treated injuries were sitting out in the open. Both of his hands had been placed into splints and had been bandaged. As for his throat, it was also covered in bandages, along with most of his torso. Quite frankly, he looked terrible.

Tsukuyo tried to compose herself as she approached him. She knelt down by his bedside and looked at him with a frown. "Gintoki…" she whispered.

By this point, the others had followed the courtesan inside. They too noted the full extent of Gintoki's condition, and threw anxious looks at one another. No one really wanted to comment on the samurai though, for fear of further worrying Tsukuyo.

Tsukuyo sniffed as she gently placed a hand on his head and ran her fingers through his silver hair. How did things come to this? she wondered. Things were perfectly fine just this morning…and now…

As she continued to stroke his hair, Gintoki suddenly frowned, and moaned. He soon started to stir. Tsukuyo simply backed up a little in surprise. Soon after that, Gintoki's eyes shot open and he flew into a sitting position, breathing heavily.

"H-he's awake," noted Shinpachi, also surprised.

Gintoki simply continued to pant as he slowly took in his surroundings. What the hell? Where am I? he wondered. Before long, his eyes fell on Tsukuyo who was staring at him from the side. She looked deeply concerned.

Tsukuyo? he tried to say, but to his surprise, no words came out. Instead, he just felt a severe pain in his throat.

As he winced, Tsukuyo started to cry again and she soon pulled him into a hug. "Thank goodness you're okay," she told him.

Gintoki was caught completely off guard by this embrace, but tried to accept it to the best of his ability. He soon realized that his hands were incapable of movement, which made returning the hug feel rather off to say the least.

Tsukuyo soon backed away and stared into his eyes. "You had me so worried damn it…Hell, you still have me worried…"

Tsukuyo then pulled him into another hug as if she didn't want to let him go. Gintoki still tried to hold her as memories of what happened before he blacked out started flooding back to him.

Suddenly, Gintoki was on high alert.

Yagami…

Gintoki soon whipped his head back and forth, checking the room. He then stared out the window, wondering if the assassin was currently watching. He immediately recalled his words:

"I think the easiest way to find your wife would be to wait for her to show up at your side. In that case, I'll have to observe you from afar until she shows herself."

Gintoki scowled. There's no way he's watching this right now, is he? He'd have to be watching from out there…It's impossible, right?

Gintoki then shook his head. No, I can't take any risks. I have to assume that he's sticking to his word…And that means that I need to warn Tsukuyo and the others!

Gintoki immediately let go of Tsukuyo and tried to speak again. Once more, he felt the sharp pain in his throat as it attempted to produce sound. He tried once more, but the pain only worsened.

What the hell? he cursed as he reached for his throat with a broken hand. Can I not speak?

Tsukuyo just stared at him with a sad expression. "Oh, Gintoki…"

The samurai stared at her, confused.

Tsukuyo gently placed a hand on Gintoki's cheek. "Listen, I'm afraid that your throat has been crushed. You're not going to be able to speak for a while…"

Gintoki immediately tried to give her a response, but only ended up hurting himself.

Tsukuyo noticed this and quickly stopped him. "Shh, I know," she said sadly. "It's not going to be easy, but that's the way things are…Also, your hands…"

Gintoki slowly looked at his own bandaged wrists as Tsukuyo gently reached down and held them. "You're not going to be able to use these for a while either. I'm sorry…"

Gintoki just stared at his own useless appendages. That bastard…I remember now. He broke my wrists so I couldn't write a message to Tsukuyo either…

Gintoki quickly grew angry, and slammed his hands down. Damn it, how am I supposed to convey that there's a serious threat out there!?

He soon winced as pain flooded into his hands. He tried to scream, but that just made the pain in his throat flare up. This was truly torture.

"Gintoki…please calm down," Tsukuyo told him, concern evident in her tone.

He ended up looking over to her, and discovered that his actions were only making her worry more. Taking a deep breath (which still hurt), he decided to listen to her for the time being and calmed down. However, his mind was still racing as he tried to think of a way to warn the others of the imminent threat.

I can't tell them, I can't write to them…Argh, damn it! What am I supposed to do!? Use my teeth to write a message!? That's ridiculous! How would I even convince them to give me a pen and paper!? Damn it all!

Meanwhile, Tsukuyo turned to look at the others, who still stood near the doorway. "Well, I guess for the time being, Gintoki is going to be staying here and recovering."

"That's too bad," said Shinpachi, looking down.

"Gin-chan," Kagura mumbled sadly.

Otose placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "It's for the best," she told them.

"Indeed," agreed the doctor, who stood behind them. "It's nice to see that he's up and moving, but for now, I think we should all let the patient get some rest."

"I see," said Tsukuyo, nodding. The others did the same. Tsukuyo then turned back to Gintoki one last time. He was still thinking hard, but the courtesan didn't bother to notice this. Instead, she simply leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "We're leaving now, Gintoki. I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"

Gintoki stared at her, having been suddenly broken out of his thoughts by her kiss. He looked puzzled for a moment, but soon clenched his teeth. Oh crap! She's trying to leave! Shit, not yet!

Gintoki suddenly reached out and laid a hand on top of Tsukuyo's. She simply stared at it before gently patting it and placing it back on his lap. She then turned away.

No! Gintoki thought desperately. No no no!

Moving quickly, Gintoki scrambled to his feet and launched himself at Tsukuyo. Swinging his arms around her, he managed to hold her loosely.

Tsukuyo was stunned at this. "Gintoki, what are you-!?"

Gintoki just held firm, not letting her go. You can't leave! he thought. Assuming that Yagami bastard knows about you, you'll be in danger as soon as you leave my side! No, on second thought, as soon as you're alone you'll be his target! You need to stay here!

Tsukuyo stared at him with a frown. "Gintoki, you need to get back into bed. You need to rest." She tried to shake him off, but Gintoki wouldn't have it. After a while, she started to grow frustrated with him. "Let go already. What's gotten into you?"

Gintoki closed his eyes. If you leave now, you'll die! And the baby will too!

Tsukuyo stared at him for a few seconds, and eventually her expression softened. "Do you…not want me to leave yet?"

Gintoki's eyes widened, realizing that this could be his chance. He quickly shook his head no.

Tsukuyo curiously stared at him before asking another question. "Do you want me to stay the night with you?"

Gintoki furiously nodded his head yes.

Suddenly, Otose spoke up from the doorway. "Oh, come now, Gintoki," she said in a scolding voice. "Can't you let your pregnant wife go home and get some proper rest? Can't you be a man and spend one night alone in the hospital?"

Gintoki quickly grew angry with her. Shut up you stupid old hag! You're going to ruin this!

Tsukuyo soon placed a hand on his arm. "No, it's fine," said Tsukuyo softly. "I can stay the night here with you if you want."

Gintoki's face brightened when he heard this. Yes! Finally! Thank goodness she's so nice! I married such a nice girl! But still, you're actually saving your own skin, you know!?

"Tch," said Otose. "Don't push yourself for his sake, Tsukuyo. Make sure to take care of yourself as well."

"I will," Tsukuyo promised. She then turned to the doctor. "It will be okay if I stay here, right?"

The doctor smiled. "Sure, as long as the patient gets his rest."

"We'll just head out then," said Shinpachi as he stepped out into the hall. "Gin-san, we hope you get well soon."

Kagura and Otose simply nodded in agreement, and they soon followed behind him. Eventually, the doctor also said his farewell before closing the door.

Now that it was just the two of them, Tsukuyo started pushing her husband back towards his bed. "You heard the doctor, you need to get rest."

Gintoki just frowned, but did as he was told. After he climbed into bed, Tsukuyo took the liberty of pulling his blankets around him.

"Comfy?" she asked.

He nodded, and then gestured to the lone chair by his bedside. Tsukuyo accepted the invitation and sat down next to him. After adjusting herself a bit, she gave him a reassuring smile. "This seems fine enough. I can manage sleeping here."

Gintoki gave her a smile full of gratitude, thankful that she was willing to stay by his side. Even though she didn't know that it was more for her well-being rather than his own.

Gintoki ended up placing a hand in her lap, and she softly clasped it in between her own hands. "Goodnight, Gintoki," she told him.

However, Gintoki didn't end up going to sleep. Or at least, not right away. To be honest, it was currently impossible for him to even consider sleeping. His mind was too busy with thinking to allow something such as rest.

A few hours had passed since Tsukuyo had joined his side, and she was currently fast asleep in her chair. Meanwhile, Gintoki was deep in thought on how he should handle his current situation.

I can't go to sleep until I figure this out he told himself. What's my plan of action going to be? I can't leave Tsukuyo alone or unguarded, or Yagami will attack her. At the same time, someone will have to take out that Yagami bastard…

But…who?

Gintoki was at a loss. If I can't warn anybody about a dangerous assassin, how do I expect to send someone out to fight him? At this point, I'm basically the only one who knows about him and can take him on…

But at the same time…will I even be able to in this condition?

Slowly clenching his teeth, Gintoki once again cursed his situation. Damn it, things honestly couldn't be much worse for me right now! A kid on the way. A wife who doesn't know that she's in danger. Two broken wrists and a crushed throat. How am I supposed to handle this!?

Eventually, Gintoki let out a sigh, realizing that complaining about his situation wouldn't get him anywhere. He then stared at Tsukuyo, who was still dozing at his side. He glanced at her stomach, and thought of the tiny baby growing within it.

Gintoki soon looked away, his face adopting a determined look. I swear I'll protect them. My wife. My child. My family…I swear that I'll protect them…no matter what!

Feeling a new wave of resolve, Gintoki went back to thinking, a plan forming in his head…

Um…I think I broke Gintoki XD Just physically though. Mentally, he's still as feisty as ever. It's a good thing I went out of my way to make him useless though. Yeah, he's not going anywhere…yet ;)

I have a few notes on this chapter. First off, don't take any of the medical knowledge/treatment/recovery seriously here. I'm pretty sure I made it all up with little to no research. I think I was aiming for plot convenience more than a realistic storyline. But I mean, hey, that really suits my needs XD

Second, I wonder if I really put Gintoki in a position where he can't tell the others about the assassin. I feel like he could still do it, but probably not in a way that the others would find him sane…Hmph who knows? I also just want to add that no one has questioned Gintoki about his attacker yet because…well that's going to be explained later. It may not be explained well, but we'll see XD

Anyways, that's it for now. Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! And please look forward to the next one! Next time, Gintoki's plan goes into action, and he gets some visitors. See you then!