Silver Moon – Book 5 Chapter 8

It wasn't long before Gintoki and Tsukuyo made their way back to the surface. From there it was only a short trip back to Odd Jobs.

"I hope Kyoko behaved herself," said Tsukuyo as they walked. "I know how much of a handful she can be at times."

"Don't worry," Gintoki told her. "We both know Kagura is tough as nails. She won't be overtaken by an infant."

"Yeah, but even we struggle with her sometimes," Tsukuyo pointed out.

"Aw, I'm sure it turned out fine," said Gintoki, shrugging.

"We'll see," said Tsukuyo, facing forward. "If Kyoko did misbehave, she got it from you."

"That's harsh," said Gintoki, frowning.

The two of them then laughed a little bit before walking the rest of the distance back to Odd Jobs. Once they arrived, they took the liberty of letting themselves in. They then made sure to walk quietly down the halls, in case Kyoko was sleeping.

"Hey, Kagura, we're back," said Gintoki, walking into the living room. He soon paused in the doorway. Something odd had just caught his attention. "What is Shinpachi doing here?"

Shinpachi looked up at him with a small frown. Kagura, on the other hand, looked completely miserable. Her posture was also a little weird, as she appeared to be slumped against the couch she sat on.

Gintoki just curiously stared at them. "What's up with you two? You look like you're upset about something."

Nobody said anything. They just sat there in silence.

By this point, Tsukuyo also arrived in the doorway. She took note of the two kids in the room before slowly glancing back and forth.

Gintoki just continued to stare at his employees. "What's going on?"

Tsukuyo also spoke up. "Kagura, where's Kyoko?" she asked quietly.

The room quickly went silent again as Tsukuyo's question hung in the air. Kagura's frown started to tremble as she stared at the couple. Shinpachi kept his composure, and with a deep breath, finally addressed them.

"Gin-san, Tsukuyo-san," he said calmly, "there's something we need to tell you guys…"

Tsukuyo's eyes immediately widened, already becoming incredibly concerned about what he was going to say. Gintoki also felt a little worried, not quite sure what was going on.

"What is it?" Gintoki asked hesitantly.

Shinpachi sighed. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you guys this…but something terrible happened while you were gone…"

Tsukuyo remained frozen, anxiously waiting to hear what he was going to say. Gintoki adopted a more serious expression. "What happened?" he asked sternly.

Shinpachi looked at them directly. "Kyoko…was kidnapped…"

Tsukuyo's eyes widened even more when she heard this. She still didn't make a move though, but remained frozen in place.

Meanwhile, Gintoki could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Kyoko…was kidnapped? Huh? You've got to be joking, right?"

"It was Takasugi," said Kagura quietly, speaking up for the first time. "He's the one that took her…"

This time, Gintoki's eyes widened. "Takasugi?" he whispered.

Tsukuyo started to tremble a bit. She then glanced around the room again, almost frantically. Once she was done, she then turned to the room where Kagura slept and wandered inside. She had left the room.

Gintoki watched her leave with a worried look. He could only imagine what kind of thoughts were running through her head right then. Nevertheless, he had his own concerns welling up within him.

"Takasugi!?" he asked his employees. "What the hell are you talking about!? Explain!"

"It happened while Kagura-chan was alone," Shinpachi told him. "Takasugi showed up out of nowhere and paralyzed her before she even had a chance to react. He then collected Kyoko for whatever reason, and took her away."

"What!? But that…This is…" Gintoki paused, trying to make sense of what he was being told. "Why would Takasugi kidnap my kid!?"

"We're not sure," said Shinpachi. "Kagura-chan thinks she heard him saying something about Kyoko having 'great potential'."

Gintoki paused again before shaking his head. "Damn it, that bastard probably has some crazy scheme in mind again. But still, to take my kid of all things…"

Gintoki crossed his arms as he looked down. Maybe he did it just to spite me…Or maybe he's just an insane pedophile. He really is a piece of shit.

Gintoki then sighed before turning to the quiet one. "Hey, Kagura…are you all right?"

Kagura slowly looked up at him, revealing that her eyes had some tears in them. She didn't say anything.

Gintoki couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Just by looking at her, it was clear that she had already shed quite a lot of tears that night. "Shinpachi said you're paralyzed, right? Are you still okay, though? Takasugi didn't hurt you, did he?"

Kagura frowned, but soon shook her head. "No, I'm fine…"

Gintoki sighed again. "Good. I'm glad you made it out fine at least."

Kagura's lips started to tremble. "Gin-chan, I'm so sorry! I tried to stop him but I-!"

Gintoki cut her off by placing a hand over her mouth. "I know," he said calmly. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."

"B-But-!"

"Shh," he said. "You tried your best, didn't you? That's good enough."

Kagura started crying even harder. "Gin-chan!" she shrieked. "You're too nice!"

Gintoki just frowned as he stepped away from her. "Just dry your tears already. That's disgusting."

"But…but what about Tsukky?" asked Kagura quietly. "She…she must be mad with me!"

"I'll go talk to her," Gintoki assured her. "I'll make sure she's okay too. This is a lot to process right now."

"We really are sorry, Gin-san," said Shinpachi bowing his head. "If I had only known-"

"I know," Gintoki cut him off. "You both did your best tonight. Now leave it to me for the time being."

"Gin-san…"

"Gin-chan…"

"I'll be back in a minute," he said, walking over to the room where Tsukuyo had disappeared to. He approached it slowly and quietly, and cautiously peered inside. It was really dark in there, but he could see Tsukuyo crouched in the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Gintoki entered the room, and closed the door behind them, making the room a little bit darker. He then approached his wife from behind, and soon noticed that she was actually crouching overtop of their daughter's baby carrier.

An empty baby carrier.

Gintoki stared at her. "Tsukuyo," he said quietly.

She remained silent. She didn't even turn around to acknowledge his presence.

Gintoki sighed as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo, but it's true. Kyoko really is gone."

There was a moment of silence between them before Tsukuyo eventually rose to her feet. She then finally turned to face him, revealing a few tears in her eyes.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Tsukuyo started weeping in Gintoki's embrace. She leaned in against his chest as the tears fell down her cheeks.

"It's not your fault," she whispered. "It's that bastard, Takasugi's fault…"

Gintoki calmly patted her head in an attempt to comfort her. "I know," he said softly. "Don't worry, though. Kyoko will be all right."

Tsukuyo looked up to Gintoki with an incredibly worried look. "But Gintoki…she's only a baby…She can't even defend herself…"

Gintoki frowned as he looked away. Truth be told, he was feeling just as worried as she was.

"Our little baby girl," said Tsukuyo sadly. "All alone…with that evil bastard…"

"Please don't cry, Tsukuyo," said Gintoki, hardly knowing what to tell her. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

Tsukuyo just shook her head a bit before burying her face in his chest again. She continued to let the tears flow as Gintoki held her close to him.

"Everything will be okay," he whispered.

Eventually, Gintoki got Tsukuyo to calm down and encouraged her to come out of the room. She slowly nodded and dried her tears. She knew that she couldn't wallow in her anxiety forever. She knew that Gintoki was right, and that it was better to move forward.

Gintoki slid the door open and wrapped his arm around Tsukuyo as they reentered the living room. They stared at the two kids who sat there waiting for them. They in-turn stared back.

"How are you feeling, Tsukuyo-san?" asked Shinpachi gently.

Tsukuyo uncomfortably crossed her arms as she looked away. "I don't know…Scared, nervous, worried beyond belief…"

As Kagura listened to this, she could feel herself breaking down once more. She forced her eyes shut as tears started slipping out of them again. "I'm so sorry, Tsukky! It's all my fault!"

Tsukuyo quickly turned to Kagura, a little surprised at the girl's outburst. "Kagura…"

"It's all my fault!" Kagura exclaimed. "You guys trusted me to watch Kyoko, but I couldn't keep her safe! I'm just a failure! And…and I understand if I'm never allowed to babysit Kyoko again!"

Tsukuyo just gave Kagura a sad look. She knew that the girl was feeling just as horrible as she was right now. Probably even worse, since she considered herself responsible. Tsukuyo took a deep breath as she decided to put on a brave face for her sake.

"Kagura…it's not your fault," said Tsukuyo gently as she approached the girl. "I know that you didn't want this to happen. You don't have to blame yourself." Tsukuyo then softly started wiping away Kagura's tears. "It will all be okay. Everything will turn out fine in the end."

Meanwhile, Gintoki crossed his arms and turned to Shinpachi. "So what happened with Takasugi? Where did he go after he took Kyoko?"

Shinpachi just frowned. "We have no idea. Kagura couldn't move when he made his escape, so there's no telling where he is now. We ended up contacting the Shinsengumi though, and Okita-san said he would try his best to help us out."

"You got the Shinsengumi involved?" asked Gintoki with a frown. "Like they're going to be any help."

"At this point, it's possible that they know more about Takasugi's whereabouts than we do," said Shinpachi quietly. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Gintoki looked away and grunted in disappointment. What a mess this night had turned out to be…

As Tsukuyo continued to comfort Kagura, the young Yato girl just stared at her with a big frown. "Tsukky…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Kagura," said Tsukuyo with a small smile. "We'll make this right."

Kagura just gave her a curious look as Tsukuyo suddenly stood up straight. She then faced towards the doorway with a determined look in her eyes.

"I realize now that crying isn't going to get us anywhere," she said in a serious tone. "Kagura, get well soon, all right?"

Kagura just stared at her. "Tsukky…?"

Without another word, Tsukuyo then walked out of the room at a fast pace. Gintoki and the others just watched her go with surprised expressions.

"Where's she going?" asked Shinpachi.

"I don't know…" said Gintoki slowly. Somehow, he had a feeling that she was up to something. It wasn't long before he started running after her. "I'm going to follow her! Shinpachi, take care of Kagura, all right?"

"Huh?" exclaimed Shinpachi. "Wait a second, Gin-san!"

"Where are you guys going?" shouted Kagura.

"Gin-san!"

Gintoki just ignored them as he tried to catch up with his wife. She was walking at a furious pace, however, and was already outside and making her way down the street when he finally managed to catch up to her.

"Hey, Tsukuyo, wait up," he told her as he ran to her side.

"Keep up," was all she said.

Gintoki stared at her, and noticed the fierce determination in her eyes. "Where are you going?" he asked her.

"Home," she replied.

"Why?"

"To arm myself."

That response was enough to make Gintoki back off for the time being. He could tell that her tone was completely serious, and it honestly scared him a little. He could almost sense the extreme animosity pouring out of her being. Whatever she was planning, Gintoki knew that there would be no stopping her.

Wh-What is this motherly ferocity flaring up inside of her? he wondered with a nervous frown. Her behavior is seriously starting to scare the shit out of me! Moms are scary as hell!

It wasn't long before Gintoki and Tsukuyo arrived at their house. Once there, Tsukuyo wasted no time walking inside and setting to work. Gintoki simply followed behind her as she did this, not saying a word. She began by arming her person with as many kunai as she could carry. She usually seemed to carry an infinite amount of them, but even Gintoki felt that what she was currently carrying looked rather excessive. Tsukuyo also took the time to grab some tanto, along with other small weapons.

Gintoki continued to stay quiet for a long time until he couldn't watch any longer. He ended up crossing his arms as he stared at her. "What are you planning to do with all of that stuff?" he asked calmly.

Tsukuyo just stared at him. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked with a frown. "I'm going to go get our daughter back."

Gintoki just nodded a little. "Yeah, I understand. That's exactly what I want to do too." He then paused. "But unfortunately, Tsukuyo, I hope you realize that we really don't have any idea of where to start looking."

Tsukuyo just glared at him before shaking her head and getting back to her preparations. "We'll go to Katsura's place. He's bound to know something."

Gintoki shrugged a little as he considered this. "Hmm…You might be right."

Tsukuyo suddenly slammed a drawer shut as she turned to him. "What's your problem!?" she shouted.

Gintoki just stared at her with a blank expression. "What do you mean?"

Tsukuyo pointed at him. "You! How can you be so…so calm!?"

Gintoki continued to stare at her, not saying a word.

"Our daughter just got kidnapped, Gintoki! Do you even realize that!? Kyoko is gone! And all you can do is stand there, and act like everything is perfectly fine when you know damn well that it's not! How can you do that!? What's wrong with you!?"

Gintoki just frowned at her words. He knew that she had a point, and that from her perspective, his behavior might seem a bit odd. He decided to approach her and gently grab her by the shoulders.

"Tsukuyo, I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but you need to calm down too," he told her quietly. "Listen, I'm just as worried as you are right now, and I really want to go out and get Kyoko back too, but we can't be reckless. If we're going to do this, we need to think straight. Takasugi is dangerous. It won't help if we run in there only to get ourselves killed."

Tsukuyo just stared at him, her lips trembling a little.

"We need to stay calm," he said, slowly pulling her into a hug. "We'll get her back, but we need to stay calm, okay?"

Tsukuyo slowly nodded in his embrace. "Y-Yeah, you're right…"

"Good," said Gintoki, letting her go. "Now that we've got that straight, give me a minute and I'll get ready. We'll go see if Zura knows anything."

Tsukuyo paused before nodding again. "Okay."

Gintoki frowned before walking to the other side of the room to collect what he needed. He already had his wooden sword at his side, but he had a feeling that he might end up needing something a bit more. He stared at his metal sword for a moment before reaching out and taking it.

Better be safe than sorry he thought as he secured the blade to his waste. Once that was done, he turned back to Tsukuyo. "I'm ready, are you?"

She collected a few more kunai before nodding. "Let's go."

Wasting no more time, Gintoki and Tsukuyo ran out of their house, heading off to look for Katsura.

Well, I'm back everyone. Sorry for the wait and for a rather short chapter too. You see, a few weeks ago, I started playing Zelda Breath of the Wild and I wasn't prepared for how addicting it would be. It ended up kind of completely hypnotizing me, and I would lose all track of time while playing it. Hours would pass and I wouldn't even realize it. It's kind of scary, if you think about it.

Then, one night came around, and I thought "okay, I'll try to work on the chapter tonight!" But then, One Piece Chapter 903 came out. And I read it. And then I lost any and all concentration I had for anything that wasn't One Piece. So that happened…

Then, I somehow ended up becoming addicted to watching live reaction videos to the Hunter x Hunter anime…So that took up a bunch of time…

And well, despite all of these odds, I ended up finishing this chapter! XD Now you can all see why it takes me so long to release new chapters. It's not because I'm lazy, but because I'm just too busy! XD I mean, it should have been really obvious all along…

All of these excuses aside, I do feel a little bad for taking so long, so I offer my apologies. That's all I have to say 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, we get to check in on Katsura! See you then!