Silver Moon – Book 5 Chapter 13
Once Shinpachi was safely free of his handcuffs, Gintoki and the others went back to formulating their plan.
"Okay, we've set off the fire alarm, and now the crowds are on the move," explained Gintoki. "What's our next step?"
"We need to find Takasugi," said Tsukuyo adamantly.
"You're in luck," Sogo suddenly chimed in. He then reached up and held his newly acquired earpiece steady. "I'm getting some kind of report on this thing…"
Everyone turned to the sadist and stared at him as the enemy's communications started rolling in.
"What is going on? Why is the fire alarm going off?"
"I saw it, sir! There's actually no real fire! It was one of the Shiroyasha's accomplices!"
"I see…So it's a fake alarm?"
"Yes sir!"
"In that case, they might be trying to cause a panic…"
"What should we do, sir?"
"For now, try and stop the Shiroyasha at all costs. Shinsuke-dono and I will attempt to make an escape in the meantime. We'll retreat upwards, to the thirteenth floor. Don't let the Shiroyasha or his accomplices advance to us!"
By this point, Sogo stopped listening. He had already learned what he needed to. He turned to the others. "Takasugi is on the thirteenth floor. If we hurry, we should be able to catch him."
"That's great!" Gintoki exclaimed. He then glanced around at the panicking crowds. "How should we get there, though?"
"Let's take the elevators," suggested Hijikata. "Nobody is going to use them in a situation like this, so the stairs are probably packed."
"Good call," Gintoki agreed with a nod. He soon spotted the elevators across the room. Now all they had to do was reach them.
Kagura pointed out into the crowd. "Shinpachi's plan worked. Look out there."
The entire group followed her finger only to find several individuals dotted throughout the crowds who were standing absolutely still amidst the chaos. Some of them were blatantly staring straight at Gintoki's group, while others were looking around, still confused with the situation. Either way, it was clear that they were the enemies.
"This should be easy," said Tsukuyo as she drew some kunai. "Let's go, Kagura."
"Right," the Yato girl replied.
The men simply watched as the two girls suddenly flew forward and pounced on the enemies in front of them. Most of them were far too slow to react, and ended up with kunai in their backs, or a kick to the face. It wasn't long before the enemies started dropping like flies, one after the other. Tsukuyo and Kagura didn't waste a single second, jumping around and overwhelming their enemies before they eventually reached the elevators.
The men could only watch in stunned awe as the girls rapidly cleared a path through the crowd. It was only a matter of seconds before it seemed like all of Takasugi's men had been dispatched completely. Not wanting to waste any more time, Gintoki and the men soon ran after them in a desperate attempt to keep up.
Tsukuyo quickly hit the button to summon the elevator, and then had to wait the slow eternity for it to arrive. As they waited, Gintoki and the rest caught up with them.
"You two sure are…feisty," he noted as he caught his breath.
Tsukuyo simply shrugged. "Why waste time when you can take them all out at once?"
"It was easy," said Kagura. "Half of them didn't even know what hit them."
"That's good," said Hijikata. "Save some of that energy for what lies ahead. There's sure to be plenty more enemies upstairs."
Just then, the elevators doors finally opened, and all six of them quickly filed inside. Gintoki hit the button that would send them to the thirteenth floor, and the doors soon shut as the elevator started to ascend.
After that, a somewhat awkward silence soon fell over the group…
"This place is too cramped," said Hijikata, glancing around at the six of them who had jumped into what was actually a fairly small elevator.
Gintoki, who was somewhat pushed up against the wall, scowled at Hijikata. "Hmph, well maybe if you weren't on it, taking up all this space."
Hijikata returned the scowl as he crossed his arms. "I'm not taking up that much space!"
"Really?" asked Gintoki. Out of nowhere, he ended up pushing Hijikata against the opposite wall. "In that case, make some more room for the rest of us! After all, you don't mind, right? It's not like you take up that much space…"
Hijikata forced his head to turn so he could glare at Gintoki. "You bastard," he mumbled. He soon reached out and grabbed Gintoki by the hair before forcing his head down to the floor. "If you want to free up some more space that badly, then why don't you lay on the floor and let us all stand on you!?"
"I'm feeling kind of cramped too," Sogo chimed in from the other side of the elevator. Wasting no time, he pushed Kagura against the wall with one arm. "Ah, now this is better…"
Kagura clenched her teeth. "Oh yeah? Well I feel like stretching out my legs!" As she said that, Kagura kicked Sogo against the adjacent wall, pinning him there.
Shinpachi could quickly see that this situation was getting out of hand. "Stop it, you guys! What are you all doing!?"
"Making some space," the four of them said in unison.
"Is this really the time for that!?" Shinpachi cried.
Just then, Tsukuyo (who had been keeping quiet up to this point) called out to them. "Something's wrong…" she mumbled as she crossed her arms.
Everyone simply went silent as they stared at her. They noticed that she was staring upwards, right at the display that showed what floor they were on.
"Damn it," she cursed. "I knew it. The elevator has been stopped."
Everyone took a moment to realize that they no longer felt the subtle feeling of ascending. And, as if to prove Tsukuyo's words, the elevator's display showed that they were on the seventh floor, and it was not changing.
"You mean we're stuck?" asked Kagura.
"So we are," said Sogo, looking around a little.
Shinpachi nervously clenched his teeth before turning on the others. "This is your guys' fault! You messed around too much and broke the elevator! Now what do we do!?"
Gintoki and Hijikata nervously gulped as they listened to him. They soon turned to Tsukuyo, who still had her arms crossed and her back turned to them. She was still staring up at the display, not saying a word.
"Um, I'm sorry Tsukuyo…" said Gintoki, sounding anxious as he scratched the back of his head. He soon pointed at Hijikata. "It was all this bastard's fault."
"Like hell it was!" Hijikata yelled back. "You started this mess!"
"Quiet, both of you," Tsukuyo said sternly. "There's no way that your stupid antics caused this elevator to stop. I have a feeling that we were stopped from the outside."
"What do you mean?" asked Shinpachi.
"It's likely that one of Takasugi's men saw us board the elevator, and then decided to mess with the circuits or something."
"So this elevator is no longer functional?" asked Sogo.
"It doesn't matter," said Tsukuyo clenching her teeth a little. "So they're trying to slow us down. So what? I'll be damned if this is going to stop me. I'll simply take matters into my own hands."
Wasting no time, Tsukuyo spotted an emergency escape hatch in the top of the elevator. She then hopped onto Gintoki's shoulders (without his permission), and forced the hatch open.
"I'm moving on ahead," she told the others before reaching up and escaping outside the enclosed space.
The others stared at the open hatch for second before quickly following Tsukuyo's lead.
"I'm coming too, Tsukuyo!" Gintoki shouted as he hopped out the top as well.
"No time to waste!" said Kagura, right behind him.
"We should go too," said Hijikata.
"No point in staying here," said Sogo with a shrug.
Shinpachi watched everyone evacuate at a rapid pace, and soon found himself all alone. He quickly came to his senses and attempted to chase after them. "W-Wait for me!"
As the boy successfully pulled himself out of the elevator, he looked up to find all of his comrades jumping around and climbing up the shaft with ease. He frantically scrambled to the nearest wall in an attempt to catch up with them.
As Gintoki pulled himself up to Tsukuyo's level, he looked over to her. "How high should we climb?" he asked.
"Let's find the nearest exit," she told him. "We can run from there."
Kagura jumped up from below, and bounced off of a couple walls before coming to a halt. She pointed above. "There's a pair of doors right up there!"
Gintoki looked where she was pointing, and sure enough found a closed elevator door. "I've got this," he told them. He let go of the wall he clung to, and jumped up to reach the doors' height. He then unsheathed both of his swords, and charged at the doors with a clean slice from each weapon. The heavy metal doors were easily cut in two, and crumbled before Gintoki as he launched himself safely onto the floor. Tsukuyo and Kagura were right on his tail, following him straight onto the new floor.
Only to be stunned at what they saw…
Standing before them, and surrounding the elevator doors, was a small army of Yato warriors. All of them wore dark outfits, and they all carried umbrellas at their side. And of course, standing at the head of the force, was none other than…
"Yo, look who it is," said Abuto in a completely carefree tone.
"This guy?" shouted Kagura.
"Abuto?" asked Tsukuyo.
Abuto just smirked at the trio in front of him. "Long time no see. We heard that you guys might come running around here." Abuto then shook his head and shrugged with his arms. "It looks like you have bad luck though. You've chosen the wrong floor…"
Gintoki just stared at the man with a frown. He then glanced around the room, realizing that the only way out of this would be through a fight. Behind him, he heard Tsukuyo draw some kunai and Kagura take a stance. He soon smiled a bit as he raised his own weapons up.
"Damn it," he cursed. "It looks like we'll just have to take things one floor at a time…"
The fighting broke out instantly. Gintoki rushed forward towards Abuto, while Tsukuyo and Kagura took on the waves of Yato coming in from the sides. Tsukuyo hit several men head on with her kunai, while Kagura sent them flying with strong punches. Abuto swiftly drew his umbrella in order to meet Gintoki's sword. They glared at each other.
A moment later, Hijikata and Sogo arrived on the floor, and behind them was Shinpachi. They each took a second to realize what was going on before joining the fray. They all drew their swords, and freely sliced the horde of enemies before them.
Meanwhile, Gintoki and Abuto exchanged a few blows as they continued to stare at one another. Eventually, Gintoki smirked. "I'm surprised to see you guys here."
Abuto simply returned the smirk. "Surely you're not that surprised."
Just then, Kagura appeared beside them, grabbing one of the larger men and putting him in a choke hold. She looked over to Abuto with a displeased expression. "Don't tell me that Kamui is here as well…" she mumbled.
Abuto shook his head as he continued to fight. "You're in luck; he's actually not here with us. I'm sure he's probably doing something stupid out in space. The rest of us are here just to do Shinsuke a favor."
Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, lucky us," she said, suddenly choosing to hurl the man she had in her grasp. The poor man ended up slamming right into his comrades, who had been caught off guard and soon knocked prone.
Gintoki swung his blade at Abuto again. "I take it you know why we're here," he said calmly. "Any chance you'll let us pass?"
"You're asking that now?" asked Abuto, almost in disbelief. "This isn't a charity, you know."
"That's fine," said Gintoki, grinning. "I wasn't feeling very generous."
Without warning, Gintoki lunged forward with both swords. Abuto managed to catch the two blades with his umbrella, but the force of Gintoki's attack pushed him backwards. He skidded back just far enough for Kagura to grab him from behind. Using all of her strength, she used one fluid motion to lift Abuto overhead and slam him back down into the floor.
With Abuto out of the way for the time being, Gintoki was about to rush at the nearest enemy, but soon stopped as Tsukuyo ran by him. "Let's get moving!" she shouted. "We'll head for the stairs!"
Gintoki nodded and followed her lead. "Will we be able to make it there with all these enemies?"
As if on cue, Hijikata and Sogo appeared at their sides, and immediately cut down the Yato closest to them. "Go on ahead," they said in unison.
Shinpachi also appeared behind them, this time swinging his blade hard into a nearby Yato. "We'll cover you guys!"
Kagura grabbed two Yato by the head, and subsequently forced them both to the floor. "Go get Kyoko back!" she yelled.
Gintoki and Tsukuyo nodded as they ran. Using the combined efforts of everyone there, the two of them were able to slip away from the horde of enemies and make a break for it.
"They'll catch up with us later," said Tsukuyo, staring straight ahead with determination. "Which way to the stairs?"
"Straight ahead, and then left!" said Gintoki, matching her speed.
The group of four who were left behind made sure that the couple got away safely before going on the offensive once more.
Meanwhile, Abuto slowly picked himself up off of the floor as he gently rubbed his head. "Aw man…Shinsuke won't be happy about this…"
He glanced off to the side just in time to see Kagura flying at him with a kick. He calmly dodged to the side, and then reached out to grab her leg as it flew past him.
Shinpachi noticed this, and started running to her rescue. "Kagura-chan!"
"Well, at least I'll get to have fun with you kids again," said Abuto as he swung Kagura around and released her so that she would go flying straight towards Shinpachi. "I have to say though, after all these encounters, I can't help but feel a bit attached. I'm not sure if my heart is in it this time…"
Kagura and Shinpachi collided, knocking the boy off of his feet. They both coughed as they tried to recover, but unfortunately found Abuto pouncing on them from above.
"Then again, this wouldn't be the first time I saved your lives," said the Yato with a grin. "Maybe this time I should just finish the job."
Kagura quickly pushed Shinpachi out of the way, just as Abuto kicked her into the floor.
"This certainly seems familiar," said Abuto as he stared down at the girl pinned to the floor. "Let me guess, this is the part where your friend comes to save you."
"Kagura-chan!" Shinpachi cried as he charged forward.
Abuto nearly rolled his eyes as he watched him approach. "Tch, this is so predictable…It's like nothing has even changed since we first met."
"You're wrong," said Kagura, glaring up at him from the floor. "We've gotten a lot stronger since then…"
Without warning, Kagura grabbed the foot that pinned her to the floor with both hands, and tried to force it upwards, off of her. Sure enough, it worked, and Abuto was sent into the air as Kagura freed herself. This simple move managed to distract Abuto just in time for Shinpachi to arrive and swing his sword at him. Abuto quickly crossed his arms into an "X" shape in order to defend himself from the attack. Nevertheless, the Yato was sent flying back by the force of the blow.
As he landed, Abuto couldn't help but give a small smile to himself. These kids have actually come a pretty long way…I'm impressed. Abuto then laughed a little as he rested a hand on his head. Damn, maybe I have grown more attached to these kids than I thought…or maybe I'm just going crazy after hanging around an idiotic captain for all these years…
Abuto took a second to look around the battlefield once more. Kagura and Shinpachi had ended up fighting those nearest to them, while the two Shinsengumi members didn't seem to have any trouble slicing through the enemies before them. As Abuto watched, it was obvious to him that his forces were quickly being diminished. At this point, defeat was probably inevitable.
Abuto gently scratched the back of his head with a frown. So much for my responsibility…It looks like this mission was a bust…
Abuto then glanced over to Kagura and Shinpachi once more. Still…that doesn't mean that I should give up, right?
With a devious grin, Abuto jumped back into the fight. He quickly made his way to Shinpachi and Kagura, and went on the attack. He swung his umbrella at Shinpachi, knocking him aside. He then turned to Kagura and threw some punches at her. She swiftly dodged them all, but fell prey to a surprise kick. Shinpachi tried to swing his sword at Abuto from behind, but the Yato caught it with his mechanical hand. He then used the same arm to elbow the boy in the side, making him wince. As this happened, Kagura quickly recovered from the kick, and jumped at Abuto with fists flying. Abuto simply stepped to the side, dodging the attacks.
Smiling once more, Abuto took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Kagura's neck, effectively putting her in a choke hold. He quickly reached out with his mechanical arm, and did the same with Shinpachi. Now he had both of them within his grasp.
"This is bad!" yelled Shinpachi.
"Let go of me!" shouted Kagura, trying to break his grip.
Abuto continued to smile as he looked down at them. He then looked up. "Hey," he said quietly. "You kids…tell me something…What is it that you're fighting for?"
Shinpachi and Kagura looked up at the man with confused looks.
Why is he asking questions? wondered Shinpachi.
What is he talking about? thought Kagura.
Abuto was silent for a bit more, before frowning down at them. "Well!?"
Shinpachi and Kagura remained silent as Abuto released his hold on both of them. They both stumbled forward a little bit before turning around.
"Come on!" shouted Abuto, running towards them. "I know that you're not weak enough to be defeated here! Show me your resolve! What is it that you're fighting for!?"
Shinpachi and Kagura, still looking a bit confused, suddenly donned determined expressions. They both jumped forward to meet Abuto head on.
"To help out my friend!" shouted Shinpachi, sword raised.
"To make up for a mistake!" shouted Kagura, pulling back her fist.
Instantly, Shinpachi's sword slammed into Abuto's stomach while Kagura's fist landed right on his face. The Yato ended up falling to his knees after this, and gave one final smile as he coughed up some blood.
"Ha ha…damn, I really do love you kids," he said quietly. "You know…I wouldn't mind losing to you guys…over and over again…"
Suddenly, Abuto fell forward, and landed flat on the floor, unconscious.
Shinpachi and Kagura stared at him for a few moments, breathing heavily as what he said weighed on their minds. A boy who had come to help his friend get his child back. A girl that had come to atone for accidently allowing the child to be taken in the first place.
These were the things that made them strong and loveable, and they should hopefully never forget it. And it was these thoughts that came into their heads, as they stared down at the small smile of their unconscious foe.
"Is it just me?" asked Shinpachi quietly. "Or…was this guy actually trying to encourage us?"
Kagura stared at Abuto for a few moments before responding. "Nah," she said, shaking her head. "This guy is just crazy."
Well, Gintama ended. And yet, at the same time, it didn't. Wow. To be honest, I'm perfectly happy about this. The whole time leading up to this point, I was secretly hoping/wishing that it was all just a fake out, and that Gintama would continue, for at least a little bit longer. And look at what happened! I mean, it will be a while before we get a new chapter, but at least we'll get more Gintama!
This makes me happy for a multitude of reasons. Now it finally feels like the story can get a proper ending, tying up all the loose ends without feeling rushed. Which is basically all I ever really wanted. Additionally, those of us desperately hoping for Gintoki and Tsukuyo to be together can possibly have our hopes satisfied now! XD The last few weeks, my hopes for such a thing had been pretty much completely abandoned, as there just wasn't enough time left to include such a thing. But now that there is time, the possibility of romances is now back on the table. I'm still not sure if Sorachi will be willing to take things in that direction, but at least now we can hold onto hope! XD
Anyways, as for my chapter, it kind of turned into something that I didn't really expect, especially at the end with Abuto. I wasn't initially planning on having Shinpachi and Kagura fight him, or making references to their original encounter in Yoshiwara, but once I got started, I felt like I found myself on a path that would lead to a bit of a "redemption" of sorts for Abuto's character. Maybe it was because I thought Gintama was ending at the time, but I really felt like writing a positive conclusion to their fight. One that would end not necessarily with action, but more with words and feelings. It sounds kind of cheesy when I type it out like this, but it's a direction that I really enjoyed taking. It made me take a bit of a deeper look into Abuto's character, only for me to realize that he is probably one of the more underrated characters in the series. I discovered that I personally really like Abuto. And maybe not so much as a villain, but maybe more of a mentor figure. So that's why things turned out the way they did.
Phew! I apologize for that long analysis! I really didn't intend to go on for that long, but for some reason I found it so easy to explain my feelings that I just couldn't resist. Anyways, please feel free to leave a review and please look forward to the next chapter! Next time, Gintoki and Tsukuyo ascend! See you all then!