Silver Moon – Book 4 Chapter 12

Way up in the sky, a single ship could be seen exiting the Earth's atmosphere. It slowly left the blue planet behind, its destination unknown.

Takasugi stood on board the ship, gazing out at the stars. With a simple grin, he turned back around to stare at his prisoner once more. "Is that all?"

Sitting on the floor and bound in chains, was a gravely injured Yagami. He was bleeding terribly, but he was still conscious. Matako, Takechi, and Bansai all stood behind Yagami, as they had assisted in pulling information out of the assassin. Eventually, Yagami slowly looked up at Takasugi.

"Yes," he said quietly. "I told you everything you wanted to know."

"I see," said Takasugi as he brought his pipe to his lips. "So that's why you targeted Gintoki's wife. You were afraid that his child might grow up to be a major threat someday?"

"Of course," said Yagami, looking down at the floor. "Beasts breed beasts…"

Takasugi smirked at this. "Naturally. You Naraku bred this beast a long time ago. What do you think that says about yourselves?"

Yagami didn't respond, inciting Takasugi to lightly chuckle.

"It matters not," Takasugi continued. "Meanwhile, I feel that I must thank you for handing over this information so willingly. We barely even had to torture you to get you to talk. Then again, there was little we could do to a man that's already half dead."

This time, Yagami smirked. "Don't be foolish," he replied. "I wouldn't have been nearly as willing to hand that information over if I thought the government was incapable of killing you…"

Takasugi raised an eyebrow at this, intrigued. Meanwhile, the other members of the Kiheitai frowned.

Yagami's smirk turned into a grin. "It doesn't matter how much information I share with you. You'll be dead before you realize it."

Takasugi simply went back to grinning as he approached the man. He then drew his blade, and pulled it back before glaring at Yagami.

"I dare them to try."

With one swift movement, Takasugi beheaded Yagami. The assassin's head fell to the floor, soon followed by his limp body. Takasugi then flicked the blood off of his sword before sheathing it. Bansai and Takechi frowned as they watched this, and Matako even winced a little.

Two subordinates soon ran into the room, and started cleaning up the mess that was Yagami's corpse. Takasugi just ignored them as he went back to staring out into space. He slowly exhaled some smoke.

"How amusing," he said. "To think, Gintoki is actually going to have a child…"

Matako slowly approached him from behind. "Um, Shinsuke-sama…Do you think that the Shiroyasha's child might grow up to be a threat, just like this guy did?"

Takechi soon followed her lead. "If it's true, do you think that the threat should be taken out, Takasugi-san?"

Takasugi was silent for a while, but eventually responded by shaking his head.

"No…I don't think so…"

Takasugi then grinned for the final time.

"I have other plans for the child…"

The next day, Gintoki and the others found themselves back in the hospital. Gintoki was placed right back into his room where he belonged, and had to receive even more treatment for his new injuries on top of his previous ones. Thankfully, his voice had actually made some substantial progress towards recovery, as he was now able to talk freely for the most part.

Still, that didn't help his current situation though…

"What were you thinking!?"

"You can't just leave the hospital in your condition!"

"How many times is this going to happen!?"

Gintoki just closed his eyes and winced as several nurses bombarded him with complaints. As it turned out, you couldn't just walk out of your hospital room without pissing several people off.

"Aren't you a little old to be afraid of the doctor!?"

"Who just disappears from the hospital like that!?"

"Maybe we should tie him to his bed!"

"Now, now, let's all calm down," said Gintoki's doctor. "I think the patient understands…"

In response, each of the nurses turned their heads with a "Hmph!" and walked out the door.

Once they were gone, the doctor looked at Gintoki. "The police explained that your disappearance was tied to that attack last night. And while I do understand, those nurses have a point. You shouldn't run away from the hospital any more. This isn't some game."

"I understand," said Gintoki, happy to be talking again. "I'm sorry."

"Very well," said the doctor, taking his leave. "I'll let you go back to resting now."

Gintoki nodded as he watched the doctor step out into the hall. Almost immediately, everyone waiting outside flooded into his room. Shinpachi, Kagura, Kondo, Hijikata, Sogo, and of course, Tsukuyo.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, coming to his side right away.

"Fine," he replied. "I'm able to talk!"

"Great," said Hijikata, rolling his eyes.

"Don't overdo it," Tsukuyo informed him. "The doctor said it could get worse if you use your voice too much."

"Right, right," Gintoki agreed. He then glanced at the chief of the Shinsengumi. "So…how's cleanup going?"

"It's not pretty," said Kondo, crossing his arms and frowning. "This situation is a little complicated to say the least. Naraku agents versus Shinsengumi is never a good sign."

Kondo then released a sigh before smiling a little. "Everything should turn out fine though. Pops Matsudaira informed me this morning that the entire incident will be recorded as an assault against innocent civilians."

"Basically," Hijikata explained, "the higher-ups all agreed that the Naraku were way out of line with this one."

"By protecting people during the chaos, the Shinsengumi are naturally viewed as heroes in this case," said Sogo.

"Therefore," said Kondo, "we the Shinsengumi, along with you, Yorozuya, are completely innocent this time around. There are no repercussions for our actions yesterday."

Gintoki just let out a long puff of air. "Well, that's a relief, I suppose…"

"I would certainly hope that there are no repercussions," said Tsukuyo rather suddenly and fiercely. "Who would get punished for defending themselves in a situation like that?"

"Yeah, Gin-chan was just defending himself from an assassin!" Kagura agreed.

"And he was protecting Tsukuyo-san as well!" Shinpachi added.

"Now, now, calm down," Kondo told them. "I said that there weren't any repercussions, didn't I? Let's just be thankful for that."

The rest of them quieted down upon hearing this. Tsukuyo had a look of slight annoyance on her face, still upset over the fact that Gintoki could have been in serious trouble for saving lives of all things.

"Still though," said Kondo quietly, "you should be careful, Yorozuya. Even though you were cleared this time around, the government might not be so forgiving in the future. I seriously doubt that they will forgive this incident completely. You may very well have to face another threat just like this one in the future."

Gintoki just stared at him as he listened to his words. "Hmph," he grunted.

Kondo frowned at him. "All I'm saying is, just stay alert, and be careful."

"We understand," said Tsukuyo, suddenly speaking up. "Thank you for the warning."

Gintoki just looked at her surprised. It almost seemed like she was okay with what she had just heard. She soon looked at him in return, and then frowned sadly.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she told him.

Gintoki stared at her for a moment longer, and then gave her a soft smile. He then reached over and pulled her close to the best of his ability. The others watched this in silence for a bit.

"Er…perhaps we should go," Shinpachi suggested. "You know…let them have some alone time…"

"Y-yeah," Hijikata quickly agreed. "We all have, um, police stuff to do anyway."

The others simply nodded their heads in agreement before slowly filing out of the room. Once they were all out in the hall, they closed the door behind them before casually walking away from the room.

"I hope those two will be okay," said Shinpachi with a frown. "It seems like every time something good happens to them, something bad happens shortly after."

"That's just the kind of life they lead," Kondo replied. "It's a dangerous one, for sure."

"Yeah," said Sogo, shoving his hands into his pockets. "The Boss is one crazy guy."

"Stupidly crazy," Hijikata mumbled.

"Still though, that's the life they chose for themselves," said Kondo with a smile. "I know it's nothing they can't handle. They're tough, the both of them."

"That's true enough," said Shinpachi, also smiling. "Still, with a kid on the way, I have a feeling that things will only get more hectic from here on out."

"Of course," said Kagura. "Gin-chan and Tsukky's kid will probably be more powerful than both of them combined."

Shinpachi gave her a curious look. "What makes you think that?"

She shrugged. "It just makes sense."

"Thinking like a Yato," said Sogo, rolling his eyes.

Kagura frowned at this. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're thinking with your muscles instead of your brain," Sogo replied.

Kagura immediately became angry. She soon walked up and grabbed him from behind. She then pinned him to a wall with one hand while clenching her other hand into a fist. "Care to say that again?" she demanded.

The others just stared at them before shaking their heads.

"It's best to just leave it alone," said Shinpachi.

"If she wants to put Sogo in a hospital, she's already one step ahead," noted Hijikata.

"He'll be fine," agreed Kondo.

Sogo simply watched the others leave before staring at Kagura once more. "Are you really going to hit me, China?"

Kagura glared at him for a moment, but soon dropped her fist and released him from the wall. "No," she said quietly.

Sogo just raised his eyebrows at this. "Really? That's odd…Perhaps you actually are using your brain after all."

"Shut up," Kagura spat back. "It's not that. I'm just…"

She paused, trying to find the words. "Listen, I heard that you guys helped give Gin-chan a fighting chance against his assassin, and I also saw you protecting Tsukky when she was being attacked. And for that, I'm…I'm grateful."

Sogo looked surprised to hear this, which made Kagura feel a little insecure. She quickly added one last comment.

"So since you helped out…I guess I'll refrain from punching you…this time…"

Sogo simply continued to stare at her, surprised. He then ended up giving her a shrug. "It was nothing," he told her, calmly putting his hands back into his pockets.

The two of them stared at each other in silence after that, before Sogo eventually smirked.

"You know," he said, "you've been strangely acting a lot more mature lately, China."

Kagura frowned at his expression. "I have?"

"Yeah, it's weird."

Kagura soon started pouting. "Seriously, I will put you in a hospital," she threatened.

Sogo just smiled as he walked away. "We're already in one, China. Get a clue."

"Not a problem," Kagura uttered under her breath. She was still upset, but she chose to follow the sadist's footsteps anyway.

Meanwhile, Tsukuyo was still tending to Gintoki in privacy now that everyone had left the room. This finally gave them a chance to talk to each other alone.

Tsukuyo just gave a sigh as she sat down in the chair next to Gintoki's bedside. "Seriously, I am very grateful that you're still alive," she told him. "Given the circumstances, things could have turned out a lot worse."

"I suppose," Gintoki agreed. "But it's nothing to worry about. Everything turned out fine in the end, you know?"

Tsukuyo silently nodded before looking away. "Still though, you make me worry way too much."

"You make yourself worry too much," Gintoki told her. "I'm fine, see?"

"You're in the hospital," Tsukuyo reminded him. "You're not fine…"

Gintoki suddenly frowned as he stared at her expression. "Is something the matter?"

Tsukuyo just sighed. "It's you, Gintoki."

"Me?" he repeated.

Tsukuyo looked away again. "When I first found out that you were in the hospital, I felt terrified. I didn't know if you were going to be okay or not. It was so scary…And now I'm still scared. Even after surviving a near-death experience, you jumped right out of bed and threw yourself into another one!"

Tsukuyo then glanced at him. "Don't get me wrong, I know why you did it. But still, if you keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations like this, you have me worried that one day…"

Gintoki stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

Tsukuyo just sighed again, actually trying to hold back some tears. "One day…you won't come back…and I'll be left a widow…"

Gintoki continued to stare at her as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He could tell that these kinds of thoughts were truly haunting her.

"That's not going to happen," he replied seriously.

"How do you know?" she asked, hoping for reassurance.

"Because I won't let it happen," he told her. "I'm not planning on dying for a long time."

"You would to protect me," Tsukuyo replied quietly. "Wouldn't you?"

Gintoki just went silent. He didn't want to answer that for fear of worrying Tsukuyo even more. It didn't matter though, because they both already knew the answer.

Tsukuyo just wiped away her tears as she sighed one last time. "Whatever," she said. "I'm still just glad that you're okay this time around."

"Me too, I guess," Gintoki agreed, looking way. Before long, he turned back to his wife. "You don't usually worry about me this much, do you?"

"Of course I do," she replied. "It's just…with a kid on the way, I worry about you now more than ever."

Gintoki gave her a curious look. "Why is that?"

"Because I'm not going to let you die and end up leaving me alone to raise our kid," Tsukuyo told him. "There's no way I'd let you get away with that."

Gintoki just smiled at her response. "Well, stop worrying," he told her. "I'm not going anywhere."

He then reached out and let his limp hand graze her stomach. "I actually can't wait to get out of this place," he said. "I want to come home right away so I can spend more time with you and the baby."

Tsukuyo looked a little surprised to hear this. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, I'm actually looking forward to this."

Gintoki then looked up to find his wife staring at him curiously. "What?" he asked her.

"What's all this newfound excitement over having a baby?" she asked him. "You didn't act like this before."

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed that you were acting kind of strange the last few days before you were attacked," Tsukuyo explained. "You had nightmares and I heard you acted weird in front of Seita…Has something changed since then?"

Gintoki smiled once more before leaning back in his bed. "Yeah, something did. I realized that being a parent basically means being willing to do whatever it takes to protect your family. And now that this entire incident is over, I feel like I'm perfectly capable of doing just that."

Tsukuyo just crossed her arms and smiled at him. "Really now? Well, it sounds like someone finally found their confidence."

"You're one to talk," Gintoki pointed out. "You took your precious time coming to terms with this parenthood thing too."

"Ah, but I, as the smart parent, came to terms with it much sooner than you did," Tsukuyo corrected him.

Gintoki just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I don't care anymore. I'm just excited over the thought of finally getting to meet our newborn in eight months' time."

Tsukuyo smiled at his response, and slowly leaned in closer to him. "Me too," she whispered sincerely.

Gintoki slowly rose up to meet her, and the two of them ended up sharing a kiss between them. They then backed away, and smiled at the thought of what the future would bring.

It was only a matter of time before their family would grow by one!

Book 4 End

And with that, Book 4 came to a close. Man, that felt rather fast didn't it? I was actually able to maintain a somewhat consistent release schedule, and with only 12 chapters to write, I finished a lot sooner than expected! This felt refreshing :)

I think part of the reason why I finished so quickly was because I really enjoyed what I was writing. I've kind of wanted to write a Gintsu family story for a long time now, so I'm really excited that I'm finally able to do it!

So now, what comes next? Book 5?

Well…yes, but not right away. After hearing people claim that they expected Book 4 to cover Gintoki and Tsukuyo's honeymoon, I almost felt like I let people down by writing this instead XD Not that I cared that much. It's MY story after all XD

Still, some people did express that they wanted to see such a thing, and after letting a few ideas form in my head, I decided I'd like to touch upon it. Basically, you'll be getting a honeymoon special. I'd like to make it a short story split into two chapters, but we'll see. And then once the special is over, it will be on to Book 5. Make sense? Everybody happy? XD

So yeah, those are the plans for now. Please go vote in the poll on my profile if you haven't already. Your time is almost up! Also please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and Book 4 as a whole. I'd really appreciate it! Thanks for all the support! See you guys next time!