Silver Moon – Book 5 Chapter 5

Over the next few weeks, Gintoki and Tsukuyo became much more adapted to their new lifestyle as parents. It wasn't long before they grew accustomed to changing Kyoko, feeding her, and comforting her when she started crying. In addition, the couple also kept good on their promise to work as a team. By evenly splitting the work and supporting each other, taking care of their newborn had actually become a much easier process.

Naturally, Gintoki and Tsukuyo both took notice of how well this team idea had worked for them.

"This is so much simpler," Tsukuyo told Gintoki one day. "Why did we ever even argue and compete in the first place?"

"Because you're stubborn and I'm an idiot," said Gintoki bluntly.

Tsukuyo just frowned. "You can be stubborn too, you know."

"Well then you can be an idiot sometimes too," he replied.

"Now I'm remembering why we argue," Tsukuyo muttered.

Gintoki just smirked at her. "Truth be told, you like to argue a little bit, don't you?"

Tsukuyo felt taken aback, before giving a sigh. "Of course, how else would I keep you in line?"

"I feel the same way about you, honey," he replied casually.

Tsukuyo just ended up frowning before walking out of the room. Damn it. I hate it when he's right…

A few days later, Gintoki and Tsukuyo both found themselves at home during the day. Gintoki had the day off, so he decided to spring an idea on his wife.

"Want to go on a stroll?" he asked.

"A stroll?" she repeated.

"Yeah, through the park," he clarified. "You, me, and Kyoko."

Tsukuyo just stared at him. "Really? You want to?"

"Yeah, it would be a good chance for you to get out of the house. Kyoko too."

Tsukuyo stared at her baby, which was resting nearby. "Well, I suppose we have been stuck inside the last couple of weeks…"

Tsukuyo then smiled. "All right, sure. Just let me get Kyoko ready to go outside."

"Get her ready?" repeated Gintoki. "We're just going outside. Just what kind of preparations are you planning on?"

Tsukuyo paused. "Well, it might be chilly. She'll need a coat."

Gintoki shook his head. "Tsukuyo, it's summer. She won't get chilly."

Tsukuyo paused again. "Well…what if it's windy?"

"It's not windy."

Tsukuyo still looked a little apprehensive. "Fine, then I'm going to apply some sun-block on her."

"Really, sun-block?" asked Gintoki, shaking his head some more. "Don't you think you're going too far? We're only going outside, it's not that dangerous."

Tsukuyo knew he had a point but she still couldn't help getting a bit defensive. "I just want our daughter to be safe and healthy, is that too much to ask?"

"I know," Gintoki sighed, "but you don't have to be so overprotective."

"Says the guy who wants to murder boys for her sake," Tsukuyo mumbled.

Gintoki just frowned at this comment. "Hey now, those things are actually a real danger to Kyoko!"

"See what I mean?" she replied.

Gintoki sighed. "Look, I'm just saying that you don't have to be worried over every little thing. Besides, I didn't know that you were the type to be scared."

This made Tsukuyo glare at him a little. "I'm not scared, moron. I'm only worried for Kyoko's sake. But if you truly think that I'm overreacting, then fine." She turned away to collect Kyoko. "Let's get ready to go. You said the park right?"

Gintoki nodded. "That's right."

"By the way," Tsukuyo mumbled, "did you hear that the park is haunted?"

Gintoki froze for a second. "Eh? The park is…what?"

"It's haunted," she clarified. "You know, full of ghosts."

Gintoki could feel himself start to sweat a little. "Oh, r-really? Where did you hear that from?"

Tsukuyo smirked, hardly believing that Gintoki was actually falling for such an obvious lie. "Kagura said she and some other kids see odd spirits there sometimes."

"Sp-spirits?" Gintoki repeated, sweating some more. "You mean like, dead people?"

"Yeah," said Tsukuyo as she transferred Kyoko into a stroller. "You ready to leave?"

Gintoki paused. "O-on second thought, we don't have to take a stroll today…"

"Oh?" asked Tsukuyo, "But I thought you wanted to."

"W-well, I mean, if the park is really full of…er, dead spirits and the like…we probably shouldn't-"

"Huh?" said Tsukuyo, smirking at him. "Gintoki…are you…scared?"

Gintoki started shaking a little, like he had just gotten a chill. "What, sc-scared? Of ghosts? N-no way!"

Tsukuyo just rolled her eyes at him. "Gintoki, you know I was just kidding right?"

Gintoki paused. "Eh? You were?"

"Of course I was. The park's not haunted."

"Oh!" exclaimed Gintoki as he started rubbing the back of his head. "Ha ha ha! Of course it's not haunted! You almost had me believing that silly act! Heh heh…"

Tsukuyo just shrugged. "Well, it's probably not haunted, anyway."

Gintoki just froze again. "Eh? Tsukuyo? Honey? You were just joking, right? There's really no ghosts, right!?"

Tsukuyo simply rolled her eyes once more. "Let's go, idiot."

Before long, the couple made it to the park with Kyoko safely strapped in her stroller. Tsukuyo took the liberty of pushing her around while Gintoki walked beside them. Well, more like cowering behind them as he kept a watchful eye out for any supernatural spirits.

Tsukuyo eventually glanced at him. "You going to stay back there all day?"

Nervously twiddling his fingers together, Gintoki walked to her side. He then took a deep breath. "I mean, if you think about it, ghosts don't appear in direct sunlight, right? It's too sunny for ghosts today…"

"Well, they could appear in shade though, right?" asked Tsukuyo. "There's plenty of shade in the park."

"Shut up, you don't know anything about ghosts!" Gintoki shouted, mostly hoping she was wrong.

Gintoki then paused as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately jumped behind Tsukuyo as he yelled. "AH! I think I just saw a weird moving shadow over there!"

Tsukuyo just frowned before pushing him back by her side. "Don't get behind me, moron. Is that how you protect your family from danger?"

"Hey, I'm serious, I just saw some weird shadow over-AHHHH!"

Gintoki screamed as he dodged several kunai that were thrown in his direction. As it turns out, they were thrown by Tsukuyo herself. She appeared to be in a battle-ready position, but she soon relaxed.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I thought I saw an assassin over there, but it was just a shadow."

"You're way scarier than any ghosts!" Gintoki whined. "Why do you always assume it's an assassin, huh!?"

"I'm just looking out for Kyoko's safety," she said with a shrug.

"By nearly killing me!?" Gintoki complained.

"You're still alive, aren't you?"

Just then, the two of them heard some rustling in the bushes. It was coming from where Tsukuyo had thrown her kunai.

Gintoki immediately went on the defensive. "Tsukuyo, I think you hit something! Is it the ghost!?"

The two of them warily stared as a shadow emerged from the bushes. The dark figure held it's side as it removed a twig from its long hair. "Those kunai made me fall into the bushes," she muttered to herself.

The figure then stepped out of the shade, revealing herself to be none other than Sachan.

"I can't even stalk Gin-san in peace nowadays," she continued to mumble.

Gintoki's expression immediately went from anxious fear to mild agitation. "You were right, Tsukuyo. It was an enemy. You can finish it off now."

Sachan heard this and immediately turned to him. "Oh, Gin-san! You noticed me!? I just knew you would!" She immediately jumped out and tried to cling to him, but he just pushed her away.

"Go away!" he shouted. "I'd rather take the ghost!"

Meanwhile, Tsukuyo just seemed surprised. "What are you doing here, Sarutobi?"

Sachan then scornfully turned to Tsukuyo, as if noticing her for the first time. "Oh, Tsukky, you're here too?"

Tsukuyo crossed her arms at her tone. "Yes, I was just taking a stroll with my family."

Sachan also crossed her arms. "Tch, your family, huh? It must be nice to have Gin-san's child."

"It's a privilege of being his wife," Tsukuyo shot back.

This comment made Sachan frown as she turned to look at the infant. "So this is Kyoko, huh? Gin-san's daughter."

"And mine," Tsukuyo clarified. "Although, I assume you'll just hold that against her."

"Don't be stupid, Tsukky," said Sachan. "I don't hate little Kyoko! How could I? She is Gin-san's child, after all."

Tsukuyo just sighed. "You're really still hung up on Gintoki, huh?"

"I actually feel quite fond towards little Kyoko here. After all, one day, I'll be her step-mom!"

"Her step-mom!?" Tsukuyo shouted. "What about her real mom!?"

"She'll obviously have been divorced of course," said Sachan, scoffing. "Either that, or she'll have died due to an 'accident' of sorts. Don't worry though, Tsukky. I'll make sure to take way better care of her than you ever could!"

Tsukuyo just shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, fool. Besides, Kyoko is plenty satisfied with her real mom. She won't be needing you."

"Hmph!" said Sachan in contempt. "We'll just see about that!"

"Just get out of here already," Tsukuyo told her. "You're ruining our walk."

"Fine," said Sachan, suddenly jumping onto a nearby tree branch. She then turned to them with a smile. "Goodbye, Gin-san! Goodbye, Kyoko-chan! I'll be sure to check on you from time to time~!"

Gintoki just sighed, tired of her behavior. "Go away," he pleaded.

"Oh, Gin-san, I just love when you talk to me like that!" Sachan exclaimed as she disappeared from sight.

Once she was gone, Gintoki took the liberty of pushing the stroller forward. "Let's keep going, shall we?"

Tsukuyo just scowled. "Could you believe what she said to me!?"

"Yes," he replied truthfully. "You know how she is."

"Trying to replace me as Kyoko's mom…That's unbelievable! I'm her only mother in the world!"

"I know, I know," said Gintoki, trying to calm her down. "Let's just go back to enjoying our stroll, shall we? And hope that we don't run into anyone else."

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" someone suddenly exclaimed from behind them. "What a happy looking family!"

Gintoki immediately froze. He recognized that obnoxious laugh all too well. "Don't tell me…"

Someone suddenly put their arm around him. "Hey, Kintoki! There you are! I finally found you!"

"T-Tatsuma!?" Gintoki exclaimed, hardly believing it. "What are you doing here!?"

Sure enough, it was Sakamoto. He simply gave Gintoki a big grin as he laughed some more. "What do you think? Zura told me that your kid was born a couple weeks ago, so I had to stop by to see her! Ah ha ha!"

"Damn it," Gintoki grumbled. "Another weirdo that wants to see my kid…"

Tsukuyo just shot him a glare. "Well, it sure was kind of you to come all this way just to visit us, Sakamoto."

"Mutsu came along too," he said, pointing behind him to reveal her standing there.

"Only because you needed help with directions," Mutsu clarified coolly. "We just so happened to find you guys in the park while we were on our way."

"Oh, wow," said Gintoki, scratching his head. "I guess you guys nearly missed us then…ha ha, what good luck…"

Tsukuyo just glared at him some more, hoping that her expression alone would be sufficient enough for him to behave. "Well, since you came all this way, you might as well meet her." Tsukuyo then removed the infant from the stroller. "Here she is, Sakata Kyoko."

"Ah ha ha ha! Wow!" Sakamoto exclaimed. "May I hold her?"

Gintoki frowned. "I don't know if that's such a good i-"

"Of course you can," Tsukuyo swiftly cut him off. She gently handed the child over to Sakamoto, much to his delight.

"Ah ha ha ha! She sure is cute, Kintoki!"

"Th-Thanks," he mumbled nervously. He then suddenly pulled Tsukuyo to the side. "First Zura, now Tatsuma!?" he whispered.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" she whispered back.

"These guys are idiots!" Gintoki stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If Kyoko spends too much time around them, she'll absorb their idiot-like traits!"

Tsukuyo just rolled her eyes. "If Kyoko ends up becoming an idiot, it's because she got it from her father," she stated adamantly.

Meanwhile, Sakamoto was still having fun simply laughing at the baby. "Ah ha ha ha, babies sure are fun to hold! Do you want to hold her, Mutsu?"

Mutsu looked surprised, but soon shrugged. "Very well…"

Mutsu accepted the infant into her arms, and after staring at her for a second, slightly smiled.

"See?" exclaimed Sakamoto with a huge grin. "It's fun, isn't it? Ha ha!"

"Well, she is rather cute, I'll admit," said Mutsu quietly.

"Ha ha, being up in space the whole time, we don't usually get to do this sort of thing," Sakamoto explained.

"Well, you don't have to make a habit of it," Gintoki muttered. Tsukuyo swiftly elbowed him in the side for that comment, and he soon keeled over.

"I'm glad you adore her," said Tsukuyo proudly. "She really has been kind of a blessing for us. Gintoki and I feel nothing but love for her."

"Aw, that's sweet, Kintoki! Ha ha!"

Mutsu simply continued to smile down at the baby in her arms. This is rather pleasant she admitted to herself.

"You know-"

"-one day-"

"-I wouldn't mind-"

"-having a child of my own."

"Ah ha ha!"

After his stupid laugh, both Mutsu and Sakamoto paused before slowly turning to each other. To her utter embarrassment, and his pleasant surprise, they had both apparently just said the same thing at the same time.

Mutsu's face turned a deep red as Sakamoto grinned at her. "Mutsu, did you just say the same thing as me? Ah ha, ah ha ha ha!"

"Shut up," she replied sharply as her blush only worsened. "I was only saying what was on my mind…"

"We must think alike then!" said Sakamoto positively.

Mutsu just quickly shook her head before handing Kyoko back to Tsukuyo as fast as possible. "Thanks, I have to go now." She then walked off as fast as she could.

"Hey, where's she going?" Sakamoto asked as he watched her go. "Hey, Mutsu, come back!" He ended up running after her.

Tsukuyo and Gintoki just stared after them for a moment. Tsukuyo then returned Kyoko to her stroller. "That was weird," she noted. "I wonder if something is going on between them."

Gintoki just shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Let's just get away from them while we can." He immediately started pushing the stroller as fast as he could. In his haste, though, he wasn't watching where he was going, and ended up tripping over his own feet. He then fell to the ground as the stroller went flying out of his grip. He looked up just in time to see the stroller start to descend down a hill.

Tsukuyo was in utter shock. "Ah! What the hell, Gintoki!? You just put Kyoko in danger!"

"Shit!" he cursed as he got to his feet and ran after the runaway stroller. As he ran, scary thoughts started to cross his mind. He honestly didn't know which was more terrifying. A world where his poor infant daughter got hurt, or one where his wife murdered him for hurting his poor infant daughter.

Oh wait, those are probably the same worlds he realized.

This only made him run even faster in order to catch the stroller. As he neared it, he noticed that it was about to collide with someone at the foot of the hill. He immediately jumped out and caught the stroller just before it made its collision with the stranger. Once it was in his grasp, he pulled it safely to a halt.

Gintoki then checked to make sure Kyoko was okay, which thankfully she was. He then breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Man, that was almost bad-"

Bang! The sound of a gunshot cut him off. That, and the fact that the bullet flew right past his head, nearly missing. Bang! Bang! Bang! Several more bullets flew near his person in rapid succession. Gintoki frantically squirmed about as he tried his best to shield Kyoko from whatever the hell was happening.

"What's going on!?" he cried amidst the noise.

And then, suddenly, it stopped as soon as it had started. Gintoki slowly opened his eyes to find someone pointing a gun at him, smoke pouring out of the barrel.

"Ah, Sakata-san, please forgive me," said the owner of the weapon. "I mistakenly took that flying stroller as an attack from an enemy and retaliated without thinking. My apologies, it is not every day that an elite such as myself makes such an error."

Gintoki just stared at the man addressing him. To his complete surprise, it was the leader of the Mimawarigumi, Sasaki Isaburo.

"O-Oh, it's you," said Gintoki rather unpleasantly, still startled from the attack. Just what the hell is up with this park today!? It's been full of nothing but annoying characters!

Sasaki simply lowered his gun, but didn't put it away. "Yes, long time no see."

Just then, Kyoko started crying loudly, having obviously been startled by the gunfire. This helped bring Gintoki to his senses. He soon rose to his feet and lifted her out of the stroller in order to comfort her.

"Ah, Sakata-san, don't tell me…" said Sasaki. "This is your child?"

Gintoki felt a little hesitant to answer. He really didn't want this creepy guy anywhere near his daughter. "She is," he said eventually.

"Really?" said Sasaki, somewhat intrigued. "You should have told me. You never do stay in contact with me, do you? You never answer any of my texts, after all."

Gintoki didn't know what to say. "Um, yeah…"

"Don't tell me, you didn't lose the cell phone I gave you, did you?" he asked shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, Sakata-san. Here." The man immediately handed Gintoki a brand-new cell phone. "Now we can stay in touch once more. You can even send me plenty of photos of your cute baby."

Gintoki helplessly frowned at this. This was starting to get unsettling. Just then, he received a text on his phone. He reluctantly opened it, only to see a message from Sasaki.

Be sure to keep this on you at all times! ^o^/

Gintoki just frowned as Kyoko continued to cry. For some reason, he almost felt like joining her.

Just then, Tsukuyo finally ran up to his side. "What the hell was that, Gintoki!? You nearly gave me a heart attack back there! You could have killed Kyoko!"

Gintoki sighed a little. "I know, I'm sorry. By the way, did you not just see me get shot at? I nearly died too!"

Suddenly, Gintoki received another text.

Your wife is so pissed at you lol ;) ^o^/

Gintoki just frowned. He kind of felt like smashing the stupid phone, but he knew that he would just be presented with another one if he did. He simply sighed as he finally got Kyoko to settle down.

"What's the hold up, Isaburo?" a female voice suddenly called out to them.

"Ah, sorry, Nobume-san," Sasaki apologized. "I was just catching up with Sakata-san here. Did you want to see his new baby?"

The Mimawarigumi officer known as Nobume simply frowned as she stared at them from a distance. She appeared to be staring at Kyoko for a while, but soon turned away.

"She's cute," was all she said as she walked off.

Sasaki simply retained the stoic look on his face that he always carried. "Ah, my apologies for her rude behavior. It is most unbecoming of an elite. You see, she doesn't do well with babies. Well, babies and anything that isn't a donut."

Gintoki and Tsukuyo just stared at them, hardly believing the absurd words coming from his mouth. As they stared, Sasaki quickly snapped a picture with his phone. Naturally, Gintoki instantly received a text with the picture attached.

You and your family. So cuuuuute~! ^o^/ ≤3

"Well now, I must be off," Sasaki announced. "An elite such as myself has many more elite things to attend to today. Such is the life of an elite. Please stay in touch, Sakata-san."

And with a slight wave, the man walked off. Gintoki and Tsukuyo just stared after him for a little bit before she turned to him.

"What the hell was that all about?" she asked, hoping for answers.

Gintoki simply started putting Kyoko back in her stroller. "Let's just go home. Now."

Late that night, Gintoki and Tsukuyo were lying in bed, sound asleep. Out of nowhere, however, a loud cry pierced the silence, awaking them both.

Gintoki slowly rose up, and then rubbed his eyes a little. "Kyoko is crying," he mumbled.

"Mmm," Tsukuyo acknowledged him.

"I'll go take care of her," he said, slowly rising to his feet.

"All right," she said, apparently still half asleep.

Scratching his head and yawning, Gintoki made his way to Kyoko's room. There she lay in her crib, crying uncomfortably. Gintoki just walked up to her and calmly collected her.

"Hey there, kiddo," he said quietly. "What's the matter, huh? Trouble sleeping? Bad dream?"

"Waaah!" Kyoko wailed.

"Oh, I see," said Gintoki, nodding. "Rough day, huh? Me too. I understand that it's not the most fun when all of these idiots that mommy and daddy know start coming around."

Kyoko leaned her head into Gintoki's chest as she cried. Gintoki just held her there in order to help comfort her. He then decided to sit down in a chair that was placed in Kyoko's room.

"Shh," he whispered. "I understand you're upset, but now is the time for sleep…Besides, it's way past your bedtime, young lady…"

Kyoko seemed to quiet down a bit upon hearing the sound of Gintoki's voice. Meanwhile, Gintoki soon found himself yawning.

"Man, all this talk of sleep just makes me want to, well, sleep. That, and the fact that it's the middle of the night. You like sleep too, don't you? Of course you do. You're a baby. The only thing you're good at is sleeping."

By this point, Kyoko's cry was becoming more of a soft croon. She fidgeted a bit in his arms, but she soon started to relax against his body.

"You're not putting up much of a fight, you know?" said Gintoki, smirking at her. "Is it possible that you're taking it easy on me? Heh, you must really like me."

As Kyoko continued to quiet down, Gintoki suddenly noticed that Tsukuyo was standing in the doorway. She smiled at him.

"What are you dong here?" he whispered. "I've got this handled. You can go back to sleep."

"What, a mother can't check on her child?" she asked gently.

"Not if you're going to steal all of daddy's credit," Gintoki replied. "Daddy is the one helping her fall back asleep, you know."

Tsukuyo smirked. "Yes, but mommy is the one watching over them both," she told him.

"Tch," said Gintoki. He then glanced down at his daughter. "I think she's asleep."

Tsukuyo slowly approached them. "Yeah, you did good. She's having nothing but sweet dreams now."

"That's what I was hoping for," said Gintoki with a content smile.

"She really is beautiful," Tsukuyo whispered. "I love her so much."

"I love her too," Gintoki agreed. "I'm glad we had her."

"Yeah," she replied softly.

The three of them then sat in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other's company. Tsukuyo then motioned to the door.

"We should let her sleep. You put her back in the crib, and then come back to bed."

Gintoki paused as he stared down at Kyoko. "I can't," he said.

Tsukuyo stared at him. "You can't?" she repeated.

Gintoki shook his head. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Come look."

Tsukuyo took a closer look at her sleeping baby. "What's the problem?"

"She won't let go of me," Gintoki revealed, pointing at her tiny hands. "See?"

Sure enough, Tsukuyo could see that Kyoko had somehow managed to clench Gintoki's pajamas within her fists. As if to prove his point, Gintoki let go of his hand supporting Kyoko's back, and she still stayed in place, leaning on his chest.

"She's got an iron grip," he noted with a smile.

"She must have grown quite attached to you," said Tsukuyo, also smiling.

"I don't think I can get her to let go without waking her."

"I see," said Tsukuyo nodding. She then turned around and started heading for the door. "Come with me, then."

Gintoki rose to his feet. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me."

Gintoki did as he was instructed, and followed Tsukuyo back to their bedroom. Tsukuyo then approached his side of the futon, and lifted the blanket off.

"Lay down," she told him.

Gintoki realized what she was going for, and smiled down at his daughter. He gently carried her over and then got back into bed. Gintoki lay on his back, with Kyoko resting on top. Tsukuyo then covered them both with the blanket.

"Comfortable?" she asked.

"Yes honey," he replied.

Tsukuyo then walked to the other side of the futon before crawling in and joining them. "Great, now let's all get some sleep," she said.

"Way ahead of you," he said, closing his eyes and holding his daughter close.

Tsukuyo just smiled as she also closed her eyes. At that moment, she felt no greater happiness than knowing her family was close by her side. And that was all she really needed.

Well, this chapter was longer than expected. Especially since I wasn't planning on having Gintoki and Tsukuyo take a walk this chapter. Or having Sachan show up. Or Sakamoto and Mutsu. Or Sasaki and Nobume. Do you guys see how much stuff I'm making up on the spot right now? XD

But no, this was a good decision. I thought that Sakamoto deserved to see Gintoki's child, since Katsura already had, and well I just didn't want the guy to be left out XD Also, I recently finished rewatching the Farewell Shinsengumi arc, and that made me start wondering if I should include Sasaki in this story and have him meet Gintoki's daughter. I'm really glad I did. Making jokes through his text messages has been nothing but fun for me XD

That's all I have to say here. Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts, and please look forward to the next chapter! Next time: somebody gets a chance to babysit Kyoko! I'll see you then!