Chapter 3: Awkwardness

Author's note: I do not own anything from Gintama. Please review! This story is unbetaed. You may check out my tumblr / wordpress / livejournal / AO3 for copies of the chapters. Am currently writing chapter 4 of this and yes, chapter 1 of the sequel to Mitsuketa is on its way! I am making major plot changes so there are small details that have to be modified too. Please review for my sanity!

Otae closed the door of her home with a soft click despite her mixed irritation and exhaustion. She attempted to follow Sacchan but the lilac-haired girl had disappeared to nowhere. She was left to carry home whatever things they had bought from the store – and it wasn't easy.

She found Mutsu lounging on the couch, watching an Asian drama. The girl's eyes widened when she glanced at her. "Wow Otae, you look…"

"Haggard?"

"… Messy." Mutsu was gesturing to her own head as if it was exploding.

Otae gazed at a reflective surface and almost screamed at the state of her hair. She ran to the bathroom and slammed the door, emerging almost an hour later.

"You look so tired." Mutsu was grinning.

"Yes, Sacchan's gone and I was left to carry everything home, after I tried to find her."

"Well, Sacchan didn't look too well either when she arrived. She's locked herself in her room." Mutsu opened a bag, obviously looking for her baking materials.

Otae shot to her feet. "Sacchan's home? Well let me give her a piece of my mind-"

"Maybe now's not the right time."

"Why not?"

Mutsu tilted her head thoughtfully. "She's in the worst mood I've ever seen her in. I couldn't even ask her for my stuff from the store."

Otae sighed. "I can't blame her for that though."

"What happened?"

Otae told her.

"How horrible!" Mutsu gasped. "So she just let him get away with it?"

"I'm not sure but I'm pretty sure she slapped him lots of times because of the state of his face."

That made Mutsu smile.

"But that guy, Gintoki…"

"The one Sacchan made out with?"

"Yeah… he has a friend."

"And…?"

"He asked me, I mean us, out to dinner at their place."

Mutsu's eyes widened. "You're seeing him now?"

"No!" Otae yelled hastily. "It's an apology dinner… For Sacchan."

"Yeah, right."

"It's true! So we should be getting ready for tonight." Otae was already thinking of her hair.

"We bringing Kyuubei?"

"Bringing me where?" Kyuubei appeared from the kitchen, her hair still in a neat ponytail. She was eyeing them both with a frown.

Otae smiled at her and gestured for her to sit down. "We have a dinner invitation."

"Is it at an expensive restaurant?" Kyuubei frowned some more. She was already bored with all the fancy dining. She was very rich and secretly spoiled, as an only child of her father. He actually wanted a son but ended up with a daughter whom he opted not to bother and just let her do whatever she wanted. Her father assigned her an obsessive bodyguard – Toujou - whom she mysteriously banished years ago.

Kyuubei had longed for more female company and when she met Otae, Mutsu and Sacchan, she could not wait to leave her home and stay with them instead. Her father could barely do anything about it.

"No, it's at the home of two guys Sacchan and I met today," Otae explained.

"Oh? Are they handsome?" Kyuubei asked with another frown.

The other girls did not seem to notice. "You'll have to see them," Otae smiled at her.

"Otae's got her eye on one of them. While Sacchan's already made out with the other." Mutsu supplied more information.

"Really?" Kyuubei looked interested.

"Have they got more friends?" Mutsu asked slyly.

Otae shrugged. "We'll see."

"Sacchan's coming too?" Kyuubei asked. "She's been locked up in her room since she came home. Did you bring home all those bags yourself, Otae?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'd better talk to her and persuade her to come with us." She walked to Sacchan's room trying the knob. "This dinner is actually for her."

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"Mmm…" Sacchan rocked herself on top of her boyfriend with her head tilted back. She had never felt so empowered. It must have been her anger… her frustration over the things that happened today.

She had called Bansai over her distress but did not tell him any details. She was pleased when he had come over immediately and she lunged at him within seconds of his arrival. Usually, he would initiate but right now she was just too overwhelmed.

Sacchan would never admit that she needed a severe resolution after her body was left hanging today. Plus, Bansai was obviously pleased.

He flipped her on her back just as she was reaching that high. She could see his eyes were closed and his forehead scrunched in intense concentration with beads of sweat on it. He started moving again, drawing her back into a feeling of detonation.

"Sacchan?" Otae knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

Bansai went on like nothing happened but he smirked at her, daring her to give them away.

"Sacchan?"

She gasped, "I… I'm busy… Come back later, Tae."

"No you're not. Let's just forget about that horrible guy at the store, okay?" Otae was pleading and she never begged.

Bansai stopped.

Sacchan held her breath.

"What horrible guy?" He asked, getting up.

"Wait…"

"Just forget about what he did, okay?" Otae repeated.

Bansai opened the door, confronting Otae. "What did who do?"

Both Otae and Sacchan gasped. "Put some clothes on!" They screamed.

"You're naked," Bansai told Sacchan and she covered herself with the blanket.

"Stop bringing him up," Sacchan hissed at Otae.

"Stop bringing who up?" Bansai looked pissed.

"No one!" They both insisted. Sacchan cursed inwardly, it was the second time she was interrupted today and her frustration was nowhere resolved. Nevertheless, she got up and dressed. Bansai had to leave. She knew this mood of his and she had no intention of letting him know what happened at the store.

"You should go," she told him.

Bansai's eyes flashed but instead he said, "We're having dinner and aren't you sleeping over?"

"We aready have dinner plans." Otae snapped at him, hands on her hips.

"Sorry, I'll come over later." Sacchan kissed him, attempting to distract him, her arms around his neck. "Otae and I just have to talk."

"Who is this 'him'? What did he do?"

"Oh… well… just one of the store clerks who refused to help us," she lied. "I already gave him a piece of my mind. He was old anyway," she added dishonestly.

Bansai stared at her silently and started to get dressed. Before he left, he pushed her back against the wall and kissed her with promise, right in front of Tae who tried her best to act normal. She had never been with a man and seeing Bansai and Sacchan's physical display of affections was somehow uncomfortable for her. "I'll wait for you tonight," he said before he stepped out.

Sacchan sighed. "He CANNOT know about what happened, okay Otae?"

Tae nodded. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah it was the worst!"

"It was just a stupid mistake that will never happen again."

Sacchan shook her head. "Of course it will never happen again. It's just that… he's such a rude piece of shit, you know? The way he yelled at you at the store and then he just ambushes me like that and doing those things at a public place. If it were his girlfriend… he thinks he could just touch her like that anytime and anywhere…"

Otae patted her friend's shoulder. "It doesn't matter. You're not his girlfriend and you've slapped the shit out of him anyway."

That made Sacchan chuckle.

"And… if you think about it… It's kinda funny, right?"

"You wouldn't think that if you were in my place."

"Was it that bad?" Otae asked. She secretly wondered if she and Toushi had been in Sacchan and Gintoki's situation.

Sacchan looked away. "He's a lousy kisser."

"Oh really?" Tae couldn't hide her smile. "Is he?"

"Why'd you come knocking on my door, anyway?" Sacchan changed the subject. "You interrupted us, you know."

"Sorry about that," Tae blushed. "There's just something about dinner tonight."

"What about dinner?"

"You know Toushi… he was also at the store… The friend of…" She trailed off, not wanting to say Gintoki's name and upset her friend.

"Mm-hmm… what about that guy? Did he violate you in public too?" There was too much sarcasm in a few sentences.

Tae blushed some more. "No… He was actually apologizing and invited us to dinner."

There was a moment of silence.

"Why?"

"Because of what his friend did!"

"Well, enjoy the dinner." Sacchan turned and flopped on the bed.

"You're coming with me! And so is Mutsu… and Kyuubei…"

"Nope. You guys have fun." She covered her face with a pillow to shut out Otae's pleading.

"Please, you have to come!"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do!"

"I don't think so."

"Yes!" Tae insisted. "You're practically the reason why we were invited. It will be weird if I go without you."

"Look, Otae, I don't want to go. You can't make me."

Otae wanted to cry. "Why not?"

"Because…" Sacchan sat up and looked at her friend straight in the eye. "That insufferable jerk will be there too and I don't want to see him again. Not in this lifetime. Ever. Again."

"Please Sacchan, I'm begging you." Otae NEVER begged. "Do it for me, your best friend…"

"Sorry… I can't."

"Please." Otae really wanted to see Toushi again but Sacchan had to be there. "I'll owe you forever."

"No." And that was final.