Silver Moon – Honeymoon Special Chapter 2

"H-Hey! Are you all right!?"

Hijikata slowly opened his eyes. His vision was all blurry, and his head was feeling rather groggy.

"I hope Toshi will be okay…That was some blow…"

"Serves him right. Did you see what he did to Jimmy?"

"Hijikata-san…Please feel free to stay in a coma for the rest of the vacation…"

Hijikata raised a hand up to his head and held it. He then looked up as his vision cleared completely. He was met by several people standing over him.

"W-What happened?" he asked.

"Yorozuya's wife spiked the volleyball right into your face," Kondo explained. "She knocked you right out."

"I told you guys she was our best player," said Gintoki as he proudly wrapped his arm around Tsukuyo.

Hijikata just frowned at this. His head was currently pounding.

Tsukuyo noticed his expression and flashed a guilty frown herself. She soon shook herself free of Gintoki and extended a hand to Hijikata. "Here, let's sit you up."

Hijikata stared at her for a second before accepting her hand and rising to a sitting position. Tsukuyo continued to stare at him for a moment before looking away.

"Er, sorry about that," she apologized. "I didn't mean to get so rough with you."

"Uh, it's fine," said Hijikata, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's my fault," Tsukuyo continued. "I knew that I was hitting the ball hard, but I wrongly assumed that someone of your caliber could handle it. My mistake."

Upon hearing this, Hijikata gave her a weird look. What the-? Is she saying I'm weak?

Meanwhile, Gintoki started snickering to himself. "Oh, Tsukuyo, you're hilarious."

Tsukuyo shot him a curious glance. "What's so funny?"

"The way you apologize to someone like him," said Gintoki, still snickering.

"What?" asked Tsukuyo, somewhat insecure. "I'm being serious…I didn't mean to knock him out. I just overestimated him…"

Hijikata just stared at her while Gintoki continued to laugh. What kind of half-assed apology is this!? Is she trying to make fun of me while apologizing!?

"Hijikata-san," said Sogo, interrupting his thoughts. "You lost to a girl."

"Shut up!" Hijikata told him. "And you too, permed bastard!"

Gintoki shook his head as he pulled Tsukuyo aside. "Oh man, that was great, honey."

Tsukuyo raised an eyebrow. "What was?"

"Knocking that bastard on his butt, and then apologizing like that! You're the best!"

Tsukuyo crossed her arms. "Seriously, what's so funny? I really felt bad for him!"

"Don't, you did a good job," said Gintoki, kissing her on the cheek.

Tsukuyo just heaved a small sigh. "Whatever. Where did that one guy…"

She paused to think of the name. "Jimmy, run off to?"

"Oh, he went back towards the hotel," Gintoki explained. "I think he went to take care of his own volleyball injury."

"I see," said Tsukuyo. "Well, I'm going to go check to make sure he's all right, since all you men seem to care about is laughing at these sorts of things…"

"You have to admit, it is a little funny," said Gintoki, grinning.

Tsukuyo just shook her head as she walked away, going to look for Yamazaki…

Yamazaki frowned as he looked at himself in a bathroom mirror. He gently touched the top of his head to feel a brand-new bump placed there. It started to ache as his fingers brushed against it.

"Darn it," he sighed. "Why does the Vice-Chief have to be so rough? Spiking that ball right on my head…Is that even allowed competitively?"

Yamazaki had not even wanted to be part of any volleyball game anyway. He would have rather practiced his badminton skills. Unfortunately though, when the Vice-Chief demanded something, it was usually final.

"At least the Boss's wife got him back for me. It was a little satisfying watching him fall flat in the sand."

Smiling a little, Yamazaki exited the tiny bathroom and ended up near an outdoor pool behind the hotel. Surprisingly enough, the place was mostly empty, save for some children running around and playing in the water. He suspected that everyone else was out at the beach.

Yamazaki walked along the pool's edge. "This bump really hurts," he noted, "but at least it's a nice day outside."

Suddenly, a voice rang out across the pool. "Ice cream! Get your ice cream!"

Yamazaki looked to the side, and noticed that a small ice cream stand had just opened up for the day. "Oh, ice cream, huh?"

He considered it for a moment, but soon shook his head. "Nah, I'm content with my anpan," he declared. Sure enough, he soon reached down into the pocket of his swimming trunks and pulled out a fresh anpan, still in its package.

Smiling contently, he turned to keep walking as he tried to open the sweet roll. Just then, however, a horde of kids pushed past him in an attempt to get to the ice cream stand.

"ICE CREAM!" they yelled collectively.

Yamazaki spun around as the kids bumped into him. He then started to lose his footing on the wet floor beneath him. His arms now moving wildly, he soon lost his grip on his anpan as it went flying, and he himself fell over backwards.

"AH!"

Yamazaki fell back hard, and bonked his head right on the pavement as the rest of his body fell into the pool. He immediately winced in pain as he felt his vision start to blur. It wasn't long before his head submerged under the water, and he felt himself begin to sink.

No… he thought. Now…I have…two…bumps…

Yamazaki's mouth fell open as his vision started to fade to black. What little air he had trapped inside gushed out to the surface far above him. He then felt water start filling his lungs as he ultimately lost consciousness…

From the entrance to the pool, Tsukuyo watched this entire incident with wide eyes. As soon as she saw him slip into the water, she ran to his side.

"Jimmy!" she yelled.

She then watched as multiple bubbles floated to the surface. Yamazaki did not come up.

Shit, he needs help! thought Tsukuyo, starting to worry. Is there a life-guard? Ah, who-cares!? I'll just go!

Knowing full well that she had always been the type to handle stuff on her own, Tsukuyo took matters into her own hands by diving straight into the pool. It wasn't long before she reached the bottom where the unconscious Yamazaki lay. She immediately placed her hands under his arms and used her strength to lift him up to the surface.

Once they emerged out of the water, Tsukuyo tossed Yamazaki onto the pavement before hopping up herself. She then looked down at him with worry all over her face.

"Jimmy!? Are you okay!?"

Yamazaki lay there motionless, not breathing.

Shit, this is bad! Tsukuyo thought. He must have taken in too much water!

Starting to truly panic, Tsukuyo crouched down beside him. Damn it, he needs to be revived! It's a good thing I know what I'm doing!

Being a skilled warrior in her field, she of course knew the steps needed to revive a lifeless body. Wasting no time, Tsukuyo proceeded to give Yamazaki several chest compressions. She did this for a moment before leaning in close to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She calmly breathed large breaths of air in and out of Yamazaki's mouth.

Thankfully, this procedure worked. Yamazaki soon coughed up water as he sat up.

"You're alive!" Tsukuyo exclaimed. "Thank goodness, that was a close one…"

Yamazaki didn't respond, as he was still fighting a furious coughing fit. However, someone else called for the courtesan's attention.

"Eh? Tsukuyo…?"

Tsukuyo turned to the side to find Gintoki standing there with a rather distraught expression. Next to him stood Sogo, who looked rather surprised.

"Tsukuyo…" said Gintoki slowly. "What was that…?"

Tsukuyo gave him a weird look. "What? Did you not see that!? I just saved Jimmy's life!"

"Saved him from living a completely lonely life is more like it," Sogo clarified with a blank expression.

Tsukuyo felt confused. "What?"

"Tsukuyo…" Gintoki called again. "Were you and Jimmy…kissing?"

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo immediately realized what he was talking about. "What!?" she exclaimed. "No! Of course not!"

"But we just saw you two locking lips," Sogo noted.

"Making out with another man, Tsukuyo!?" Gintoki cried. "On our honeymoon!? How could you do such a thing!?"

"I wasn't making out with him!" Tsukuyo replied. She then looked over at Yamazaki, who had apparently finished coughing up water. He looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, but soon started to blush.

"What are you blushing for!?" Tsukuyo demanded.

"Th-Thanks for saving me…" he mumbled. "But I'm actually interested in someone else…"

"Who asked about that!?" she asked, frustrated. "Gintoki, listen! It's not what you think. Jimmy here was drowning in the pool, so I dragged him out and gave him mouth-to-mouth. That's all it was."

Gintoki stared at her for a moment, but soon shook his head and sighed. "You're lucky I know you well enough to realize that you would never actually do something like this."

Tsukuyo breathed a small sigh of relief. "You believe me?"

Gintoki shook his head some more as he walked up to her. "Of course. I know you'd never share your love with another guy. You're too withdrawn for that."

Tsukuyo frowned at this comment, but was still glad he actually believed her.

"Still though, I can't help but feel a little jealous," said Gintoki, scratching the back of his head. "We go on our honeymoon together, and you share your lips with Jimmy? That's just not fair."

Tsukuyo crossed her arms. "Oh really? Kind of like how you've been spending all your time with the Shinsengumi instead of me?"

Gintoki winced a little when he heard that. "Well…"

"I have a suggestion, Boss," sad Sogo, coming up and interrupting their conversation. "If you want your wife's kisses so bad, just follow Yamazaki's example."

Gintoki gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Drown," said Sogo simply. Without warning, the sadist then pushed the samurai into the pool.

Gintoki furiously splashed around for a moment before calming down. He had not expected to be shoved into the water like that.

"There you go, Boss!" said Sogo. "Although, if you want your wife to love you, you need to put your head under the water!"

Tsukuyo suddenly came up behind the boy with a frown. "Hey, isn't that kind of rude?" she asked.

Sogo turned around. "Huh?"

This time, Tsukuyo shoved Sogo into the pool. He fell straight in, landing right next to Gintoki with a huge splash. Once he surfaced, he stared at the courtesan with a surprised expression.

"Don't push my husband around like that," Tsukuyo warned him with an upset look. "I don't like it."

Sogo just stared at her, dumbfounded.

Tsukuyo's expression soon softened as she turned to Gintoki. She then crouched down near the water and extended her hand out. "Here, I'll help you up."

Gintoki wasn't quite sure what to say about this, but he felt himself start to blush a little. "O-Okay…"

He took Tsukuyo's hand, and she helped lift him up out of the water. Once he was back on his feet, he noticed that Tsukuyo kept staring at him.

"Are you all right?" she asked sweetly.

For some reason, this made Gintoki blush even harder. Especially when he realized that Yamazaki and Sogo were watching this entire scene. "I'm fine," he insisted, turning away.

Tsukuyo looked confused. "Is something wrong? You sound upset."

Gintoki nervously scratched his head again. "Well, this is kind of…embarrassing…"

Tsukuyo looked surprised to hear this. "I was just making sure you're okay…"

"It was just some water," said Gintoki quietly. "Do you have to treat me like a baby?"

Tsukuyo felt taken aback by this. She heavily frowned. "Fine, sorry I cared about you…"

Tsukuyo soon started to walk away, a little frustrated with her husband's moronic behavior. See if I ever worry about his wellbeing again.

Gintoki just watched her leave. "Tsukuyo…"

Once she was gone, Sogo took the liberty of climbing out of the water. "Man, she actually shoved me in there. And she knocked Hijikata out earlier too. You got yourself a real feisty one, Boss."

Gintoki frowned. "Yeah…"

Yamazaki slowly climbed to his feet and coughed a bit more. "She has a soft side too, though. She did save me from drowning, you know. That might be why she felt so concerned for your safety, Boss."

Gintoki sighed and started scratching his head again. "You think?"

Yamazaki nodded a little, and Sogo shrugged.

"Damn it," Gintoki cursed. "I guess I owe her an apology. You tax-robbing bastards may have been the ones that intruded on our honeymoon, but I'm starting to think that I'm the one who's ruining it…"

Tsukuyo went back to their spot on the beach, and slipped her sundress back on. She then retrieved her pipe from their bag, and started smoking it. This would allow her to calm down and relieve some of her stress for the time being.

Some vacation she pouted. Gintoki's too obsessed with those Shinsengumi bastards to even want to spend time with me. So much for being alone together, just like Gintoki wanted in the first place…

Tsukuyo started to walk down the beach as she sucked on her pipe. She lazily stared at the sun as it fell closer to the horizon. It wouldn't be long before dusk arrived. Eventually, Tsukuyo paused when her nose caught a distinct whiff of nicotine.

She turned to the right, and surprisingly found Hijikata sitting in a beach chair, smoking a cigarette. He looked surprised to see her as well.

"Oh, hey…" she said.

"Hey," he replied.

"How does your face feel?"

"It's fine…"

Tsukuyo guiltily looked away. "Er, sorry again about that…"

Hijikata also looked away. "Forget it. It's not a big deal…"

They sat in silence for a moment before Hijikata glanced around. "Where's that idiotic husband of yours?"

"Off being an idiot," Tsukuyo replied. "Where else?"

Hijikata smirked at that. He then gestured to the empty beach chair beside him. "You're welcome to join me on your smoke break, if you want."

Tsukuyo stared at him for a moment before shrugging. She then sat down next to him and watched the waves.

"So you freely admit that your husband is an idiot?" asked Hijikata, still smirking. "I guess you must have known what you were getting into when you married a guy like that."

"That's unfortunately true," replied Tsukuyo.

"Did he do something to piss you off?"

Tsukuyo sighed. "Yeah, but it was honestly just something stupid…"

"Sounds like him."

"He's not like this all the time, though," she explained. "It's mostly just when he's around you guys."

"Sorry," said Hijikata, slowly exhaling some smoke, "but I'm not taking the blame for that one. That's his problem."

"You two act the exact same," she replied bluntly.

Hijikata frowned at this, and grumbled a bit.

"Why are men so dumb?" she asked aloud.

"Who says we are?"

"Your behavior. From stupid rivalries and competition to nearly drowning and getting embarrassed over small stuff, I've had my fill of dealing with stupidity on this trip."

Hijikata looked away. "Well, hanging out with a group like this, I guess that's bound to happen. And of course, hanging out with your husband makes it a thousand times worse."

Tsukuyo scowled at him. "Don't you have anything nice to say about Gintoki?"

Hijikata noticed her expression, and frowned. "He's strong…I suppose…"

"Ho, didn't realize you were such a fan of mine, Hijikata-kun."

Tsukuyo and Hijikata both looked behind them to find Gintoki standing there with a smirk.

Hijikata quickly grew upset. "You were listening!?"

"I only heard the last part," said Gintoki, "when you said I was really strong."

Hijikata clenched his teeth. "Idiot! I only said that about you so that your wife wouldn't think you're a complete loser!"

"Right, right. But you know, you don't have to hide how you truly feel."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Hijikata replied.

Gintoki just ignored him as he turned to his wife. "Hey. I came to talk to you."

Tsukuyo just stared at him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," said Gintoki, scratching his head a bit. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted back there."

Tsukuyo continued to stare at him with a rather piercing gaze. "You're sorry?" she asked seriously.

"Yes…"

"For brushing me off after I stood up for you? And for basically ignoring me this whole day?"

"Yes, yes, for all of that," said Gintoki, hanging his head. "I'm sorry…Will you forgive me and come spend some time with me? I'll get lonely without you…"

Tsukuyo just frowned before turning away from him. "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" repeated Gintoki. "What?"

"I'm perfectly content to just sit here and smoke with my new friend, Hijikata," she said proudly.

Gintoki immediately looked hurt by this comment. "Honey, please don't do this to me…"

Tsukuyo then smirked, amused at his reaction. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah," said Gintoki, looking depressed. "If you're going to give me the silent treatment, could you at least not run off with this bastard? That makes it a thousand times worse…"

"I'm right here, you know," Hijikata grumbled.

Tsukuyo then let out a small laugh before turning towards Gintoki again. "Oh, cheer up. I'm only messing with you. Of course I'll forgive you."

Gintoki looked hopeful once more. "You will?"

"Yeah," Tsukuyo replied. "I've come to realize that being stupid isn't necessarily your fault. It's just something you're born with."

Gintoki felt confused. "What?"

"Forget it," said Tsukuyo. "Let's go pack up our stuff and head back to our room."

"Whatever you want," agreed Gintoki, just happy that she forgave him. "What do you say we get away from these Shinsengumi pigs for a while?"

"Sure," she said with a smile.

Just then, however, a group of Shinsengumi officers ran up to Hijikata. "Vice-Chief!" they cried. "There's trouble!"

Hijikata calmly stared at them. "Yeah? What is it?"

"There's a huge sea creature attacking the beach!"

"What?" asked Hijikata.

"It's back by the hotel! It's attacking all the beachgoers!"

"Where did it come from?" asked Hijikata, springing to his feet.

"Apparently some idiot alien prince brought it here!"

"We need to go take care of it!"

"Understood," said Hijikata. "Shinsengumi! Move out!"

They soon ran off, leaving Gintoki and Tsukuyo standing there alone. They glanced at each other.

"Crap," said Gintoki. "How are we supposed to get to our room if the hotel's being attacked?"

"Gintoki," said Tsukuyo with a frown. "Shouldn't we go help them?"

"No," he replied sternly. "They're the police. Let them take care of it."

"We can't just sit here and watch."

"Yes we can. We're bystanders."

Tsukuyo just rolled her eyes. "I'm going to follow them."

She soon ran off, leaving Gintoki behind. "Tsukuyo, wait! Ah, damn it…Didn't we just agree to stay away from the Shinsengumi?"

Heaving a sigh, Gintoki ran after her.

It wasn't long before the couple arrived on the scene. The sea creature was easy to spot, because it was huge in size. It appeared to resemble an octopus in nature, but it had six sharp horns pointing out the top of its head in random directions. They looked rather deadly.

"Men, advance!" Hijikata shouted. As per his direction, several men ran forward with swords drawn, only to get knocked away by one of its huge tentacles.

Tsukuyo soon approached the vice-chief. "What's the situation?"

Hijikata frowned. "We can't seem to get near it. Every time we try, it knocks us back."

"Sounds like a real problem," said Gintoki, joining them. "We'll just let you guys handle it. Come on, Tsukuyo."

Hijikata ignored him. "Aside from that, it's been behaving weirdly."

"What do you mean?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Look at its sides. Do you see what it's holding in his tentacles?"

Tsukuyo's eyes widened when she saw it. "Women?" she asked.

"Yup."

Sure enough, the giant octopus had two large groups of girls held tightly against its sides. The poor women honestly seemed terrified that they had been taken captive by such a huge beast.

"Are they okay?" asked Tsukuyo.

"They seem unharmed," noted Hijikata. "But it's strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Why would it capture women?"

Just then, they heard a nearby radio lying in the sand. Apparently, it was in the middle of a news broadcast.

"Yes, I'm here at the beach where a humongous monster has begun attacking innocent civilians," announced a female reporter. "The Shinsengumi are currently fighting desperately to hold it off. Now, here on the scene with me is the proclaimed owner of this creature, Prince Hata of the Midland Star."

"What's that?" came another voice. "My Guppy isn't a monster. He's my pet."

"Huh? That's your…pet?"

"Yes, he's a rare specimen known as the Horny Octopus. I brought him along on my vacation with me."

"You…brought him here? Why…?"

"Because, poor Guppy gets lonely without me. Plus he loves the beach…"

"I…I see…um, can you tell us why your…pet has taken all of those women captive?"

"Oh, that's natural. Guppy really loves women, but he absolutely despises men. That's just how he is."

"R-Right…Doesn't that mean he despises you as well, Prince Baka?"

"Of course not! Guppy loves - Hey…did you just call me an idiot?"

The broadcast then suddenly cut to static as the creature roared. Gintoki just went from staring at the radio to staring at the beast.

"So…this thing is just a giant pervert?"

"Apparently," said Hijikata, shaking his head. "That idiot prince has really done it now. How are we supposed to get near this thing if it violently attacks men? We'd have to send a woman in to get the job done…"

Hijikata then paused, and him and Gintoki looked at each other. They then glanced at Tsukuyo.

"Say…" said Hijikata.

"Now hold on a second!" said Gintoki, cutting him off. "Don't even think about it! There's no need to drag my wife into this!"

"What are you talking about?" Hijikata retorted. "We need somebody to save these citizens."

"Then how about you do it, you tax-robbing jackass?" asked Gintoki. "My wife is just an innocent citizen too, you know!"

Tsukuyo listened to their banter with a somewhat anxious look on her face. "Um, Gintoki, if they really need my help, then I don't mind-"

"Hold on, Tsukuyo!" Gintoki shouted back. "There's no reason for you to get involved in these bastards' problems. Where's Okita-kun? Just have him fire his bazooka at that thing."

"Shut up!" Hijikata told him. "That won't work! We need your wife to stop it!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Gintoki, looking incredibly serious. His expression then changed to that of a grin as he sadistically peered down on Hijikata. "Then beg for our help, scum."

Hijikata looked lost. "Huh?"

"You heard me. If you want my wife's assistance, you need to struggle and beg for it. Now get to it."

"This is no time for jokes!" Hijikata replied. "Can't you see how serious this situation is!?"

"Then you better start begging, maggot."

"Bastard…"

Tsukuyo just sighed as she watched this. She could tell that Gintoki was enjoying himself as he made Hijikata struggle under pressure. However, she still felt like she needed to do something.

"Gintoki," she called, "I know you're having fun, but is this really the right thing to do?"

"Of course," he replied. "This guy won't get our help unless he properly asks for it."

Tsukuyo glanced at the octopus for a moment. "But I can't just sit here and watch this happen!"

"It will only take a second to break this loser's pride," Gintoki assured her. "Can you just be a little patient? Please, for me?"

Tsukuyo stared at him for a while before glancing at Hijikata. She soon noticed the pleading look on his face, almost as if he was begging her to step in on his behalf. She honestly felt sorry for him, and while she didn't want to "betray" her husband, she felt like she no longer had a choice. She had to take action.

"Sorry, Gintoki," she whispered before running forward towards the monster.

"What!? Tsukuyo, wait!" Gintoki called after her. Hijikata just breathed a sigh of relief.

Tsukuyo swiftly ran past all of the Shinsengumi members that had failed to reach the beast. As she did so, she scooped up a sword that had been dropped in the sand. She then charged straight at the monster.

The octopus soon noticed her, and his expression changed. It took on a less menacing look as it dropped its guard. This perfectly allowed Tsukuyo to run straight up to it. Wasting no time, Tsukuyo leapt up towards the beast's face. She then plunged her sword right in between its eyes, and the beast cried in pain. At the same time, the monster's tentacles unwrapped around the captive women.

"Run to safety!" Tsukuyo shouted at the girls. They did as they were told, running back towards the hotel where the Shinsengumi received them.

Time to end it Tsukuyo thought.

The courtesan ran up the octopus's head, and soon arrived at the top. She then proceeded to use her blade to cut off one of the creature's horns. The octopus squealed in pain once more. Tsukuyo then took the horn into her hands, and found that it was surprisingly heavier than expected. She then lifted it over her head before slamming it down on the monster's dome as hard as she could. The octopus could only cry out as the force of the blow made it lose consciousness. It soon collapsed into the sand.

Once it was over, Tsukuyo threw the horn aside and breathed a small sigh of relief. She then hopped down to the sand before slowly walking back to where she had left Gintoki and Hijikata. They just stared at her in shock and amazement.

"That…was impressive," said Hijikata.

"Th-Thank you," said Tsukuyo nervously.

Just then, Tsukuyo found herself surrounded by Shinsengumi officers. They all wore happy faces and started cheering for her.

"That was incredible, lady!"

"You took down that beast all on your own!"

"We couldn't have done it without you!"

"You're all welcome," Tsukuyo told them. "It was my pleasure…"

The crowd then continued to shout her praise as she stood there. She soon tuned them out as she glanced around, looking for Gintoki. To her surprise, though, he was no longer there. After a bit of scanning, Tsukuyo noticed him off to the side, walking back to the hotel by himself.

"Um, would you excuse me?" she asked the men surrounding her. "I need to go."

"Wait, Tsukuyo," said Hijikata.

She paused when she heard his voice. They stared at each other for a moment before Hijikata slowly smiled at her.

"Thanks."

Tsukuyo just smiled back at him before focusing on Gintoki again. She soon pushed her way past the crowd, and ran after her husband. It wasn't long before she caught up to him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied.

Tsukuyo stared at him. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not," he admitted, sighing. "I kind of wish you had stuck by me and played along back there, but I understand that's not who you are. You're too nice to let an incident like that go unattended."

Tsukuyo lightly smiled. "So you're not mad?"

"Of course not," said Gintoki. "You were really amazing back there, you know?"

"Thanks," she told him. "But hey, if you're not upset, then why'd you start heading back to the hotel without me?"

Gintoki stared at her before sagging his shoulders. "I'm not going to lie…After today, I'm exhausted…"

Tsukuyo smirked at him. "Oh really? That's such a shame…"

"Why's that?"

"Because," she said, "I had an idea to help make up for betraying you back there."

Gintoki stared at her, curious. "And what idea is that, exactly?"

Tsukuyo smirked once more before looking away and crossing her arms. "Want to have sex tonight?"

Gintoki nearly stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened. Did I just hear her right!? I always thought she seemed a bit reclusive! Did she really just offer to do that thing with me!? All on her own!?

Tsukuyo then smirked at him again. "But I mean, if you're too tired…"

"Nonsense," said Gintoki, shaking his head and grinning. He then grabbed her by the hand and started running back to the hotel. "Let's go!"

"So excited," noted Tsukuyo, who smiled herself.

Gintoki gladly nodded in response. He then stared into the sky as he smiled once more.

You know…Maybe this honeymoon isn't so bad, after all…

Honeymoon Special End

Once again, I ended up with a really long chapter that feels like it's all over the place. But also once again, I feel satisfied with it. I hope you did too. I tried to throw in plenty of comedy and awkward moments XD

You know, for the first time ever, I included Prince Hata in this story. Well, his voice anyway. My only regret: why didn't I do that sooner!? XD Maybe I'll have to include him more in the future.

Just as I wondered last time if I made Gintoki too competitive, this time I wonder if I made Tsukuyo too compassionate. This chapter, it seems like I really made her out to be the mother of all of these idiots. Helping them, seeing if they're okay, etc. Nevertheless, I liked portraying her like this. I've always felt that Tsukuyo was an incredibly kind girl, and I think it's one of her best qualities. I don't mind letting it shine every once in a while :)

Anyways, that should wrap up the Honeymoon Special then. Next time, we'll move on to Book 5. I'll wait to release a teaser summary until the first chapter or two is out. For now, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the honeymoon! And please look forward to Book 5! See you then!