Marriage is a Lifetime Commitment, so be Faithful!

by Hikari098

Gin proposed a marriage proposal to Hijikata abruptly because of a picture that saved him. Hating the sugar freak, Hijikata searched for the contract that Sougo forced him to sign to cancel their wedding. Will he succeed and what is Gin's true motive?

3. Final Part 1

A/N: Yipee! This is the last part of my fanfic! As usual, thanks for the support and motivation from your comments and reviews, dear readers! I'll give you each a free Mayorin Amusement Park ticket! ^^

To reader84, I'm so grateful about your long comments! Don't worry if your comment is long. I like the way how you review my fanfic, so I'm really glad! Because of that, I'm giving you a free ticket to Mayorin Amusement Park and I'm also dedicating this final part to you! I wish you'll never forget this!

To be frank, this is my first time finishing a fanfic with chapters or parts, so I'm really proud of it! Sorry, if the story is a bit too fast and confusing, and the other characters are out-of-character sometimes, because I'm excited to finish it and romance is the hardest and longest genre to make since love is complicated and illogical, right?. I'm not a perfect writer but I'm willing to become better. Enough of my rambling! Like before, please read the warnings in the first part of my story to ensure your safety! Expect some TaexGin and OkiKagu hints here! And I also split the final part into two because it's too long but both of them are updated at the same time so don't worry! I hope you'll enjoy reading the long~ and dramatic final conclusion of the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama sadly but if I did, Hijikata and Gin are already an official couple!

Gin: Stop that! You're making the readers bored and irritated already! Can you start now the final part, writer-san?

Shinpachi: Gin-san is right! And, why didn't I show up again too often from the last part of this fanfic?

Kagura: That's my line, Shinpachi! Hey! Why didn't you give me food from the last part, you old hag?

Shinpachi: You're angry about that?

Me: Okita-kun, will you hush them down? *shows his favorite Zega game*

Sougo: Roger! *grabs his bazooka and blasts them with one blow*

---

The scene was too shocking for Gin. He actually witnessed Hijikata tearing up the contract inside his room. With a confusing look, Gin asked him again, "What the hell are you doing, Hijikata-kun? Why did you tear the contract into pieces?"

Hijikata lit a cigarette between his lips and answered him seriously, "I don't want this . . . as a proof that we're getting married."

"Eh? What do you mean? Don't tell me you . . . ," the silver-haired samurai trailed off as he thought nervously that Hijikata had other motive to cancel their wedding. After all, he kind of forced the vice-commander of Shinsengumi to marry him. He just stared at Hijikata sadly, waiting for the obvious reply. Hijikata had the right to refuse it now since he tore the contract.

The raven-haired guy replied while releasing a cloud of smoke from his mouth, "We don't need such damn contract. I'll still agree to marry you without this, after all."

After hearing that, Gin was too surprised that his eyeballs were almost falling out from their sockets. He stuttered, "You-You agree to-to marry me-me without the-the con-contract?"

Hijikata smirked as he listened to his shocked stutters and nodded, "Yeah. I'll marry you, you sugar freak."

With child-like tears falling from an overjoyed samurai's eyes, he hugged Hijikata quickly and turned around many times with him in his arms, screaming, "Banzai!" The vice-commander was getting dizzy because of that, so he nagged Gin to stop it and to dress up first since he's naked, but deep inside, he's also happy that he made his final decision. He thought with a smile, "Being with this annoying idiot forever isn't a bad idea at all."

-"Marriage is a Lifetime Commitment, so be Faithful!"-

(Final Part [1])

At the dining table, Kagura and Shinpachi were both quiet and had blank expressions on their faces as they watched the supposed-to-be-destructive couple eating peacefully across them. They're also very curious why Hijikata was in Gin's room when they called him for breakfast a few moments ago after seeing Gin's scooter outside. They wanted to ask why, but they're too nervous! Gin noticed that they're staring at them and not eating or touching their breakfast yet so he scolded them, "Oi, you lazy bums! Stop staring at us and just eat your food before it gets cold."

Unable to keep their mouths shut, Shinpachi was the first one to tell some questions about what happened to the suspicious pair.

"Umm . . . Gin-san, I have something to ask. Is that fine with you?"

"Sure, it's fine," replied Gin while drinking his strawberry milk.

Shinpachi cleared his throat first before asking, "Will you tell us what happened the other day when you left abruptly without telling us where you went?"

Gin choked.

"Oi! Hang in there, Gin-chan! You're almost in the finish line so don't get drowned!" screamed Kagura while patting Gin's back.

The straight man retorted, "Why are you acting like a swimming coach, Kagura? He's not drowning! He just choked because he's drinking his strawberry milk!

A nerve popped in Hijikata's forehead while eating a bowl of rice with mayonnaise. He thought, "Too noisy . . ."

When Gin was already fine, he asked the same question again, "What happened the other day, Gin-san? Tell us already!"

Gin coughed like he's going to die because of it.

"Gin-chan, don't die because of asthma!" cried out Kagura dramatically with Gin playing dead on her lap.

"Oi! Stop this acting already! You're going too far!" protested Shinpachi angrily.

Hijikata finally answered instead of Gin, "He went to the Black Pearl hideout to rescue me alone."

"Eh?" the two teens were shocked.

Shinpachi said with fright, "Black Pearl? That's one of the strongest space pirate ships in the universe, right?"

Kagura's eyes were sparkling. "Black Pearl! Then did you get some Aztec gold? Can I eat it?"

The raven-haired guy commented, "Oi! That's a different Black Pearl you're talking about! And, Aztec gold is not a food, China girl!"

Shinpachi faced Gin with a mad face, "That's ridiculous, Gin-san! You must have told us! I'm glad that you made it alive somehow, but why are you so reckless?"

Gin smirked, "Isn't it obvious?"

Then he went closer to Hijikata and kissed near his lips gently before continuing, "It's for my soon-to-be husband's sake."

The vice-commander blushed hard when he did that, so he punched him, "Don't do that in front of them, you idiot!"

Shinpachi trembled, "Hijikata-san . . . Don't tell me you two already . . ."

Hijikata's face became red literally when he knew what the boy with eyeglasses meant.

Kagura picked her nose lazily as she stated it casually while pointing out the pair. "Ah-ha! You and Gin-chan finally did 'this' and 'that', and made you wet all over last night, right?"

Gin smacked her head immediately, "Girls like you shouldn't say those things early in the morning, you fool!"

Hijikata yelled with an embarrassed look, "What are you teaching to them, you bastard? How can she say it like it's really normal?"

Shinpachi fainted on the floor as they confirmed it. The pair already did it without them realizing.

"This is a nightmare . . ."

-~- GINTAMA -~-

After eating breakfast, Gin drove Hijikata back to the Shinsengumi headquarters by using his scooter. As they arrived there, the pair was welcomed warmly by the Shinsengumi while others threw petals to them, causing Gin to swallow one accidentally. The two had dark expressions on their faces when they noticed Kondo and Sougo carrying a long poster, saying, "Congratulations! You finally DID it!"

With a huge nerve popping in Hijikata's forehead, he made crackling sounds with his fists as if he's ready to bring someone to hell. Gin moved a few steps away from him since he knew what would happen next.

"Retreat!" warned Sougo immediately while throwing Yamazaki to the front line when Hijikata began to run towards them like a bull and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Commit seppuku five hundred times or DIE!"

"Why, me?" screamed Yamazaki as Hijikata chased him first.

After that one hell of a rampage, the lucky survivors brought the injured and dying comrades to the infirmary, including the dying Yamazaki. Kondo, with a bandage around his head and a broken arm, just laughed off the pain as he, Sougo, and the pair stayed on the meeting room while sitting on the mats. Thanks to the silver-haired samurai, the vice-commander calmed down. How did Gin do that? That's a secret between them that made Hijikata fluster and numb all of a sudden. Acting like he's the next vice-commander of Shinsengumi, Sougo apologized formally to mock Hijikata, "As the next responsible vice-commander of Shinsengumi, I humbly apologize for my comrades' foolishness in spying your night together, Danna and Hijikata-san."

"Oi! He's clearly plotting it! He really wants my position so badly! And, you did send some spies to this bastard's house to know what we're doing last night and to snatch my position, right?" retorted Hijikata madly, pointing out Sougo's dirty plan.

"Eh? That can't be true, Hijikata-kun! You see, Okita-kun has been supporting us ever since I proposed to you! He gave you the courage to sign the contract I brought last time, right?" defended Gin with folded arms.

"Hell no! He forced me to sign that shit! He's a sadistic devil!" he protested while seeing the sadistic smirk of Sougo.

Kondo halted their discussion when he put a silver briefcase in the center. Gin got curious so he asked, "Gorilla-san, what's that? Are you pulling off a pun about 'Deal or No Deal'?"

"Hey! You just said Gorilla casually! You're really considering it as my permanent name, aren't you? And, I don't like 'Deal or No Deal' because Otae-chan isn't there with a briefcase!"

Then an egg came out from nowhere as it smashed right to Kondo's face.

Somewhere outside . . .

"Ane-ue! Why did you throw the egg that you just bought this morning?" asked Shinpachi in the street where he and Otae met by chance.

She answered with an innocent smile, "My hand slipped it."

Back at the Shinsengumi Headquarters . . .

"Rest in peace, Kondo-san," they prayed and ignored the unconscious commander on the corner after that.

Sougo was the only one now who explained about the briefcase. "Okay. Listen, fools. Did you two remember about Captain Jackie Sparrow?"

"Hell, yeah! Who couldn't forget that perverted captain of Bald Jerk?" the pair snarled in unison.

The first squad captain clapped, "Man, both of you are really a perfect pair. You two replied at the same time. But it's Black Pearl, guys."

"Who wouldn't after meeting that captain? And, does it matter to call it Black Pearl?" they answered in unison again.

"Anyway, killing the captain of Black Pearl has a reward, so since Danna killed him, he'll have the reward in this briefcase."

"Eh? Really?" the curly-haired guy stood up with an excited face.

He nodded and suddenly, they're on a stage with pretty girls dancing while holding open briefcases, and a huge audience was screaming 'Deal!' and others were shouting 'No Deal!' loudly on the background. Sougo, wearing a black suit and holding the last closed briefcase, asked the challenger, Gin, "Is it 'Deal' or . . . 'No Deal'?"

"Oi! Why are we in 'Deal' or 'No Deal'? And, where is 'Banker'?" exclaimed Hijikata, sitting among the audience.

Gin gave him an evil grin confidently, "Since I killed one of the deadliest criminals in Edo . . . , I choose, of course . . . , 'No Deal'!"

Then he pushed the red button.

Silence.

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?" asked Gin with a puzzled look.

"Umm . . . Danna, you shouldn't push the red button if your answer is 'No Deal'," said Sougo.

With a pale face, Gin hid behind the briefcase nervously, "Ahh . . . I'm too embarrassed now to show my face in front of the audience and readers of this fanfic . . . Could we get to the next part already?"

-~- GINTAMA -~-

Back at the meeting room of Shinsengumi . . .

"Open the damn briefcase now, Sougo! We wasted one break because of this bastard's mistake in the plot of this fanfiction!" complained Hijikata impatiently, pinching the cheek of the silver-haired samurai.

"Okay, okay . . . I'll open it now," he replied half-heartedly.

As he opened the briefcase, the whole room was engulfed with bright light and tiny stars were reflected on Gin's wide eyes.

"This is . . . !"

Sougo showed what's inside and only written numbers were there. "Here. One thousand yen. Congratulations."

Gin protested madly, "Oi! It's only small numbers! Where is the supposed big cash?"

Sougo tried to explain the details again, "This is a briefcase after all, Danna. And, you didn't kill the real Captain Jackie Sparrow. You only killed his underling who liked to cosplay as the captain."

"Don't tell me . . . the captain is . . ."

"Yeah . . . He's still alive somewhere in Edo, so be careful," he informed seriously.

They gulped and nodded. He added, "It's best if you have someone always by your side. Captain Jackie Sparrow is known to abduct and to rape people when they're alone."

As their discussion ended, Hijikata decided to stay for awhile in the headquarters to finish his mountain of paperworks while Gin would get the things prepared in their upcoming wedding that would occur after two months. Before leaving, Gin talked first to Hijikata alone outside his room. "Hijikata-kun, what kind of wedding do you prefer?"

"Kind of wedding?" he repeated while thinking. "Do you mean we can choose another kind instead of our traditional style of wedding?"

"Yeah. It'll be great to have an ideal wedding, you know. So what do you want?"

"Anything will be fine with me . . . ," answered Hijikata, having nothing in mind, but he actually saw a different kind of wedding when he had a secret investigation far away from Edo back then. While touring that place, he was awed by a foreign structure of white building that he never saw before and took a look inside it. There he witnessed a beautiful bride wearing a long simple white gown with a long veil on her head as she walked straight to an altar on a red carpet while carrying a small bouquet of roses and being accompanied by her father. Looking farther, he saw a groom in white suit waiting beside the altar while gazing at his bride lovingly. After the bride went beside her groom and listened to the foreign priest, they both put the rings on each other and shared a deep kiss when the priest told them to do so. Hijikata felt a bit envious upon watching that warm kind of wedding. He never thought that such wedding really exists. To be blunt, he wanted that instead of the strict traditional wedding in Edo. However, he knew it would cost a lot of money and he didn't want to burden his soon-to-be husband.

Then Gin chuckled, distracting Hijikata's trail of thoughts. "Hijikata-kun, I know you want something, so spill it out already. A wedding, after all, is the most special event for every couple who wanted to live together for better or for worse, right? So, I want it to be the most memorable moment in your life with me. Don't worry about the expenses. I'll do something about it somehow."

"Yorozuya . . ."

"Gintoki . . . Just call me 'Gintoki' from now on, Toshirou."

Hijikata blushed as he tried to call his first name softly, " Gi-Gintoki . . ."

Gin smiled and held his hands, "What is it, Toshirou?"

The raven-haired guy gulped and blushed more while storing enough courage to say what he wanted. With enough courage, he finally said, "Can . . . can we have a white wedding . . . ?"

Gin was shocked, "You . . . How did you know such an expensive wedding? Did you perhaps watch Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding?"

"Oi! You said I can spill it out, right? And, that's a royal wedding you're talking about, you idiot!"

"Oh! My bad . . . But it didn't make difference! They still had a white wedding, right? Kate Middleton wore a white wedding gown, after all!"

They started a quarrel once again but it ended when Gin laughed hard. It made Hijikata furious. "What's so funny about it, huh?"

The curly-haired guy wiped away his tears due to too much laughing, and said with a big grin, "Man, I really miss our quarrels. It's been awhile since we fight over little things, right? I'm only joking that I don't like your answer. The truth is, I also planned a white wedding for a long time now, Toshirou. I just want to confirm it from you."

"Eh? What do you mean?" he became confused.

"I already heard from our best man that you liked that kind of wedding when you two went to a secret investigation far away from Edo long ago."

"Sougo . . . That bastard . . . !" he thought with gritted teeth.

"By the way, I need to go now. So . . ." Gin went closer to him and quickly kissed his lips sweetly, causing the other to jump a bit but he accepted it without pulling back.

After a minute, Gin pulled back slowly and added warmly, ". . . I just want one last kiss from my lucky one before I leave."

"Just leave now already, you sugar freak . . . ," replied Hijikata coldly with a flustered face.

Gin mocked him, "Not until you say 'I love you and take care', too."

The vice-commander became more annoyed and more embarrassed, so before he exploded, he said shyly while looking away, "I-I love you . . . and ta-take care . . ."

Gin blushed as he found it adorable for Hijikata to say it. He might request those words from him everyday from now on. With a bright smile, he hugged Hijikata and whispered, "I love you, too. Take care of yourself also, Toshirou."

Hijikata's eyes widened in surprise. Full of emotions began to swirl inside him and for him, it felt great. He returned back the hug and closed his eyes for a moment as they stood there without missing a second. "I'm so damn lucky . . . ," he thought with the same smile.

After a month . . .

"Toshi, how is your wedding preparations going?" questioned Kondo as he and Hijikata were drinking sake in an Oden stand at night.

Hijikata answered gladly, "It's going well so far. Gintoki asked an old friend of his who is a businessman to lend a roofless church from an acquaintance, and found good chefs to make a buffet for our guests while the Otose Bar Shop volunteered to give great drinks. He assigned the cabaret girls and the hosts from Takamagahara to put ornaments and to beautify the venue. He also asked help from certain ninjas to arrange flowers for the wedding and made a mad inventor agree to put sound and light systems. Terakado Tsu volunteered to sing and to gather some famous orchestras she met after she heard that I'm getting married. After that, I asked you to take charge of the security. We appointed a priest to be our marriage officiant from another planet the other day. Then we ordered a wedding cake from his favorite cake shop and bought our wedding clothes yesterday. Shinpachi and Kagura helped us to give invitations to everybody awhile ago. Plus, Madame Yagami, the Yagyu clan, the Yoshiwara, the Ketsuno clan, and the Shogun will sponsor our wedding."

Kondo folded his arms, "That's great, Toshi! I'm so glad for both of you! Everybody is rooting for you two, and I notice recently that you and the Yorozuya are getting along better than before. Calling the kids and Gin-san by their first names is a solid proof! Is it because of too much love?"

The vice-commander choked a bit and blushed, "They just asked me to call them like that, Kondo-san!"

He laughed, "Don't be shy to admit it, Toshi! You're getting married because you love Gin-san, right?"

"Yeah . . . ," he admitted shyly.

"Man, I never expected that you're getting married already. I'm so jealous. If Otae-chan could only love me, too-"

A ball hit him in the face abruptly that knocked him out.

"Oh! The Shinsengumi is here. Pleasant meeting you two here," said Shimura Otae, who's Shinpachi's brown-haired sister, as she entered the Oden stand and sat beside Hijikata.

"Oi . . . I think I'm sitting beside a killer," he mumbled with a sweat drop.

"Mister, one bottle of sake, please!" she ordered.

"Coming!" the old man who owned the stand replied.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he drank a cup of sake.

"I just finished my work so I want to drink some sake before I go home . . . , and-"

Her sentence cut off when tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Oi. You're crying."

"I . . . I'm sorry to show this, but the truth is, I want to talk to you, Hijikata-san," she told him as she tried to stop her tears from falling.

"Miss, here," the old man gave her the bottle of sake.

Hijikata asked as he started to lit his cigarette, "What do you want to talk about?"

She poured her cup with sake and drank first before she answered, "It's about Gin-san . . ."

"What about him?"

She remained silent as she bit her lower lip in hesitation, but she wanted to confirm it so she questioned, "Do you really love him so much than I do?"

Silence.

As he released a cloud of smoke from his mouth, he replied seriously, "Yeah, I do."

She smiled sadly, "I'm so jealous of you . . . Why? Why didn't he see it? I care so much about him . . . but he never realizes it. How did you make him love you, Hijikata-san?"

He closed his eyes as he savored his smoking and replied straightforwardly, "I don't know. He's the one who chased me, not me."

"So, bonds like yours do exist? Even if you're both men, you don't care about it as long as you know that you love each other, right?" she cried slowly while pouring her cup again and drank it in one shot. "Who are you to him, then?"

He threw down the burnt cigarette and stomped it with his feet. Then he poured his cup and drank slowly while saying, "I'm his lucky one, he said."

"Lucky one? You're so lucky . . . ," she murmured, still drinking until faint hiccups were heard from her.

He informed, "Oi. You're already drunk . . ."

"I don't mind . . . After all, I want to forget the pain I felt when Shin-chan told me about your upcoming wedding . . . ," she replied sorrowfully until big drops of tears fell from her swollen eyes. Hijikata didn't budge at all although he felt bad for her. He just watched her taking a drink from the bottle, causing her to release louder hiccups. She added sadly, "Time goes so fast . . . You'll never notice that unexpected things will happen eventually . . ."

"I agree . . . ," he agreed because he never expected that the silver-haired punk he hated the most was the one who made his frozen heart melt quickly with mere words and touches, and without knowing, he eventually came to love him. He was so happy that they would get married but seeing the woman, who also loved Gin, beside him, it hurt him. He knew how painful it was to give up the person you loved just for his/her happiness . . . like he did to Mitsuba. To sympathize with her, he talked to her about his experience even if he didn't like talking about his past, "Umm . . . You know, I also loved someone a long time ago. She's the one who made me happy every time we talked and every time she brought some food for us, though I hated spicy senbei. But being with her was impossible because I didn't want her to see me killing others, and I didn't want to involve her in my work as a police officer. That's why I rejected her when she wanted to go with me here. I just wanted her to live happily with someone rather than being with a killer like me."

"Hijikata-san . . ." she felt bad for him when she listened while releasing hiccups.

"I know how hard it is to forget the pain and the feelings you felt for that person, so I can relate to you. But, I believe that someday . . ." he stood up and put down the money on the table before carrying the unconscious commander on his back. Otae watched him carefully, waiting for the continuation of his statement.

He continued with a smile, ". . . you'll find that special someone who will knock your heart abruptly and will take you out from the darkness without yourself knowing."

As he exited the Oden stand silently after bidding farewell to the old man, he added with an embarrassed look, "Don't tell a soul about what I've just said."

She absorbed every encouraging word he said and found herself crying with a warm smile on her face as she watched the man, who snatched away Gin's heart first before she could, leaving. She murmured gladly while paying her drink, "Maybe I'll just wait and believe on it as well. Thanks, Hijikata-san."

-~- GINTAMA -~-

At the Shinsengumi headquarters . . .

"Oh, they're here," said Okita to Gin when he saw Hijikata carrying an unconscious Kondo while walking towards the entrance where the two were waiting.

"Really? Toshirou!" he ran to the vice-commander excitedly and pushed Kondo away from his back before he hugged him.

"Oi! You just pushed away a commander, you bastard! You wanna commit seppuku?" exclaimed Hijikata with a blushing face as he pulled away from Gin's hug.

Okita walked to them and carried Kondo instead. He countered, "Kondo-san is okay, Hijikata-san. There's no need for seppuku tonight. You just have to do brutal S&M-"

"Shut up, Sougo! Commit seppuku instead of him!" he yelled with a red face.

Gin smirked seductively while tickling Hijikata's chin with his finger, "Yeah . . . Do you wanna do that tonight, Toshirou?"

"No way in hell!"

"Don't be like that, Hijikata-san. You'll hurt Danna's feelings if you keep on rejecting his requests. You better accept it as his reward since he's been waiting for you here for two hours," defended Okita.

"Nice, Okita-kun!" mumbled Gin while giving the sadist a thumbs up without Hijikata knowing.

"Huh? You're waiting for me to come back for two hours? Are you an idiot? What if you catch a cold in this chilly night?" the raven-haired guy scolded him madly.

"Eh? Are you worried about me, too?" asked Gin with a teasing grin.

Hijikata blushed hard, "You . . . you're also worried about me . . . ? I . . . I-I'm not worried about you at all or anything! I'm just-"

Suddenly, Gin carried him like a bride and asked Okita, "Sorry, Okita-kun, but can I stay here in your headquarters tonight?"

"Sure. No problem, Danna. You're Hijikata's soon-to-be husband, after all."

With the first squad captain's permission, he quickly entered inside with Hijikata, protesting in his arms.

Okita shouted, "Enjoy your night together, you two! And, please, be quiet when you're doing something dirty!"

"Die, Sougo!" the vice-commander screamed somewhere inside.

After an hour . . .

Hijikata was breathing heavily after they did it again. They're in his room, lying on the futon naked. Gin made himself comfortable beside him while he kissed the raven-haired guy's neck. Hijikata got used to it since they're doing it every night in the silver-haired samurai's room when he's patrolling at night. However, tonight was different since they did it inside his room for the first time. As usual, Gin was full of surprises. They did another position that almost made him scream in ecstasy. It felt surprising that he liked Gin doing it to him all over again and liked how soft his chest was when their bodies collide. Shit . . . He's such a pervert now, for sure . . .

"Toshirou, are you nervous about our upcoming wedding?" asked Gin all of a sudden while hugging him.

Hijikata admitted, "A bit."

"Why?"

"Well, I never thought that I'll get married with a sugar freak like you."

Gin chuckled, snuggling closer to him, "Me, either, with a mayonnaise addict like you."

This time, Hijikata muffled a chuckle. Before they slept, they shared another long kiss that sent his heart flying away.

"I love you, Gintoki . . . ," he thought as his eyelids closed slowly while holding Gin's warm hand.

The next morning . . .

Hijikata woke up too early. He wore the same black uniform and lit a cigarette between his lips while watching Gin sleeping and drooling with a blanket covering his naked body. He smirked when the curly-haired samurai began to mumble random words again in his sleep. To be frank, he loved waking up early these days because he enjoyed viewing Gin sleeping like that. However, there's another reason why he's awake early today.

"Toshi, it's time now to go," said Kondo outside his room.

"I know . . . ," he replied sadly.

"Are you sure that you don't want Gin-san to tag along?"

He emitted a cloud of smoke from his mouth while looking at the snoring samurai. "Yeah. I don't want to wake him up early just because of this."

Then he left his room silently, sliding his door to close it. All of the Shinsengumi members were outside, carrying some incense, food offerings which were extra-spicy senbei, and white flowers. They're going to Mitsuba's funeral, after all, since today was the day she died. They entered their police cars and drove towards the cemetery quietly. Hijikata drove his car with a gloomy look that complimented well with the dark, cloudy sky. His past memories of her started to depress him, much to his dismay. But, it seemed less depressing than before. Maybe Gin helped him to move on so it's not too painful anymore. When they finally arrived, they got off from their cars and went to Sougo's sister's grave, which they cleaned up first before putting all the things that they have brought, and burning the incenses. After that, they paid their respects and prayers for the deceased one by one. Sougo began crying again as he saw his sister's photo while Kondo patted his back to lessen his pain. Hijikata was the last one who paid his respect for her and tried to talk to her through his mind, "How are you, Mitsuba? Are you doing well up there? Me? I'm fine. Your sadistic little brother is fine, as well. The good news is, I'm getting married with a man. I know it's shocking but it's more shocking to me since he's also the one I hated the most. However, I'm lucky to have him. He cares so much about me, so don't worry. I hope you'll continue watching us, the Shinsengumi, over with a smile and I hope you'll see my wedding."

After paying their respects, they went back inside their police cars to go back to their headquarters except him, Sougo, Kondo and Yamazaki. They wanted to stay for awhile. Standing in front of her grave, Hijikata stared at it as if he's looking at a smiling Mitsuba. Yamazaki felt bad for him so he walked towards him. When he halted beside him, he started a conversation, "Hijikata-san, do you miss Mitsuba-dono?"

The vice-commander replied coldly, "Not that much."

Yamazaki chuckled softly, "You're not so honest to yourself. I know you miss her so much like Okita-san does."

"Stop talking like you know me better, Yamazaki," he growled.

"Okay. I'm sorry about that, vice-commander. But she made a request to Danna to marry you, right?" stated the badminton addict casually.

After hearing it, Hijikata became numb suddenly with wide, wavering cobalt eyes, "What?"

"Eh? Danna proposed to you because of Mitsuba-dono's last wish, and that is for your happiness, right?" explained Yamazaki further, making Hijikata shiver and grit his teeth with tightened fists. He thought patiently, "It can't be true, right? Maybe this is a joke of his . . . Gintoki loves me. He won't do such thing out of pity, will he?"

"Yamazaki, are you lying?" he asked with a dark expression on his face as he tried to confirm it first by grabbing Yamazaki's collar.

The anpan-obsessed guy gulped nervously when he noticed how angry Hijikata was now, "N-No . . . ! I heard it from Okita-san and the commander-"

After confirming it, he snapped abruptly and threw Yamazaki on the ground roughly, "Damn it! That asshole!"

Kondo and Okita heard him shouting and saw their other comrade on the ground, so they got worried.

"Toshi, what's wrong? Did you lost your mayonnaise-"

"Shut up!" he snarled angrily like he's ready to kill.

Okita got angry because he shouted those words to their commander, "Hijikata-san, why are you shouting at Kondo-san-"

"You know it, right?" he interrupted. The others got quiet. He continued with a deadly glare, "You know it all along that Mitsuba made a last request to Yorozuya to marry me, right? Why did you keep it from me? Answer me!"

Okita tried to explain, "Hijikata-san, Danna doesn't want to-"

"Pity me, right? I know that I didn't end up with the woman I loved . . . I know that Mitsuba wanted me to be happy like her when she's about to get married with someone. And, I know that Gintoki will do his job, no matter how risky it is! I hate to say this . . . , but you deceived me! You helped that bastard to make me marry him without even telling me! How about my feelings? Don't you care a damn thing about me?" he cried out with tears falling from his eyes.

Kondo tried to clarify, "Toshi, I know we keep it from you, but Gin-san truly cares about-"

"Cares about me? Don't make me laugh! He clearly pities me . . . He hates me, too, like I do so he can't possibly love me!"

The first squad captain countered, "Then, what if Danna really loves you? Is that pitying for you? And, don't you love him, too, Hijikata?"

Hijikata got more confused as negative emotions overtook his heart, "I-I . . . DAMN IT!"

He immediately ran away from there, crying in confusion and betrayal, and leaving them behind with sad faces. Okita and Kondo glared at the spy of theirs, who's trying to escape quietly. After a couple of minutes, the only thing that was heard in the cemetery was a cry from a dying man.

Meanwhile at the streets . . .

"Ahh . . . What a gloomy day . . . ," groaned Gin as he tried to walk back home without seeing his lucky one in the morning. Police officers sure were busy always. However, he felt something bad was coming today. He had strong instincts when it came to upcoming catastrophes since he's living in fear when he's still a child. Well, he hoped that Hijikata was not in trouble. While gazing at the dark, cloudy sky, he's beginning to worry more.

"I hope the release of JUMP tomorrow will not cease because of some storm . . . ," he mumbled under his breath. That's what he's worrying about. As he continued to walk, a raindrop fell on his face. Then more drops began to fall from the cloudy sky after a few seconds. "Talk about bad luck . . . I don't have an umbrella."

To avoid getting more soaked, he ran quickly while people started to run as well to find some shelter. When he noticed he's running alone on the street, he felt nervous. Maybe he watched too much horror movies with Hijikata last time because he's enjoying the sudden hugs and the wimpy, terrified look of the vice-commander, even though he also had terrible goosebumps and was shouting with fright. When he didn't pay attention to where he's heading to, he bumped someone that caused him to tumble on the ground. His whole body was aching after that so he groaned in pain, and growled madly to the person who bumped him, "Oi! Watch where you're going, bastard!"

"That's what I should be saying to you, asshole!" a familiar voice protested. Gin immediately focused his sight in front of him and saw Hijikata sitting on the ground with the same surprised face that's he's expressing.

"Toshirou . . ."

"Gintoki . . ."

Upon seeing his lucky one, Gin stood up quickly to apologize and to give him a helping hand. "I'm sorry about that, Toshirou. But, I'm glad to see that you're fine. Here, I'll help you-"

"Don't touch me . . . ," threatened Hijikata with a dreadful glare, making the silver-haired samurai to halt his actions.

Gin asked curiously, "Why?"

"Just don't show your damn face in front of me from now on, you liar!" the raven-haired guy yelled with tears spurting from his eyes angrily.

"I-I don't understand . . . Why are you saying these things? Why did you call me a liar?" questioned Gin with shock, trying to clarify why Hijikata was so angry.

"Why, you ask? You got the nerve to ask why, huh? You're despicable, Gintoki . . . You're the worst!" he shouted with gritted teeth as he punched the curly-haired samurai hard on the face that sent Gin flying and stumbling on the rough ground. It felt agonizing for Gin to wipe the blood from his lips while he observed Hijikata weeping in pain. It didn't matter to him why he was punched, but it troubled him why Hijikata was looking at him with despair in his supposed brave, loving cobalt eyes. Did he do something bad? Or maybe . . . , it couldn't be!

"Toshirou . . . , you already know about my dirty lie, right?" murmured Gin, trying to stand up even if he's feeling weak and ashamed. He knew it . . . He knew that Hijikata would find it out sooner or later. And right now, he's ready to calm him down, even if his life would be taken away by the person he'd never loved so much before in his life.

"Dirty lie?" whispered Hijikata with shock that made him more disappointed and hurt. "So, all of it was only a lie, eh? You're only playing on me and pitying me . . ."

His tears were falling continuously without any pause as he confirmed it. Gin didn't love him from the start . . .

"You only pity me, right? Why . . . ? Why do you pity me? I don't want to be pitied, you bastard!" he shouted, unsheathing his sword swiftly, and charged towards the man who saved him and became the most special person in his life. With anger, he tried to slash Gin down . . . , but the memories he shared with him replayed on his mind that made him hesitant. The words of Sougo also echoed in his head, making him paralyzed.

"Then, what if Danna really loves you? Is that pitying for you? And, don't you love him, too, Hijikata?"

Gin noticed it. He couldn't believe that Hijikata halted his attack. The vice-commander continued to cry as he gazed at the red eyes of the silver-haired samurai whom he came to love.

"Don't tell me . . . he's hesitating. No . . . Don't do that, Toshirou. You must hate me! I lied to you! I'm a bad person! I shouldn't have proposed to you because of Mitsuba's request!" thought Gin as tears began to trickle down on his cheeks. Trying to make Hijikata move, he grabbed the edge of the vice-commander's blade although his hand was bleeding, and pointed it to his chest where his heart was positioned. Hijikata's eyes widened as Gin dared him, "Kill me, Toshirou . . ."

Hijikata was speechless. Gin sighed and screamed, "You hate me because I pity you, right? I even lied to you! I should be punished by you because I'm the worst man you'd ever loved! So, don't hesitate to kill me, Toshirou!"

Suddenly, the vice-commander pulled his sword from his grasp and sheathed it back, making Gin astonished. Gin thought with gritted teeth, "Is he making fun of me? I'm serious here!"

Hijikata looked at him coldly like he used to, "If I have the right to punish you, then I'll not kill such a worthless bastard like you."

"What? Why?" asked Gin with a dumbfounded face.

While turning his back, he answered, "You're not worth killing . . . So, live and suffer in this world."

Gin tried to chase him when he began to walk away, "Toshirou, wait! You-!"

"Don't ever show your ugly face to me again, Gintoki," he added bitterly, causing the curly-haired guy to stop chasing him.

Biting his lip in frustration, Gin screamed, "I'll rather kill myself if I'll not show my face to you ever again!"

Without looking back, he snickered, "Fine! Kill yourself! Or, just die alone, you bastard."

Hearing those words, Gin swore that he's already dead by now even if he's still breathing. He just realized that he made a terrible mistake today . . . , and that was his weak will to fight his love for him. He let his guilt get the best of him. He's too weak . . . With that on his mind, he knelt down on the wet ground and cried in despair as the pouring rain sympathized with him.

From afar, Hijikata cried silently in the rain when he heard Gin's cry. He made a painful decision in his life . . . , and that was to avoid himself from seeing or even touching the man he loved the most. It was for the best . . . for both of them. He didn't want to get hurt again . . . , and don't want to hurt him, as well.

-~- GINTAMA -~-

The next day . . .

"Eh? The wedding of Hijikata-san and Gin-san is canceled?" repeated Otae with a shocked expression on her face when Shinpachi informed her inside the living room of their house.

Shinpachi nodded sadly, "Yes . . . It's really shocking, isn't it?"

"Why? Did something wrong happen between them?" she asked with concern.

"I don't know all the details, but Hijikata-san, who's soaking wet, dropped by in the apartment yesterday and said that he didn't want to marry Gin-san after all. When Kagura-chan and I insisted for his reason, he just left with a sad smile. Even Gin-san didn't speak to us the whole day when he went back home. He's also soaking wet like Hijikata-san. I bet they had a fight outside that rainy day."

"That's terrible! Then what will happen to the wedding preparations we've prepared for them?" she questioned in a panicking way.

He answered with folded arms, "We don't have a choice, but to store the preparations away, right?"

"But-!"

"Ane-ue, I know it's such a waste, but let's respect their decision. It's their wedding, after all. Not ours. Even if I want to convince them to make up, I-I . . . will just be ignored by them. They're so firm about their decisions," he said with a sad look.

"Shin-chan . . ." she mumbled, understanding what her little brother meant. Men have their own horrible pride, after all, she believed. While staring out the window of their house, she recalled how Hijikata loved Gin so much, so she still believed that everything would be fine.

"Hijikata-san . . . Gin-san . . . I hope both of you are fine."

After another month . . .

At the Shinsengumi headquarters . . .

Hijikata, wearing his dark blue hakama, was spacing out in his room with open sliding doors while gazing at the blue sky without a sun. It felt incomplete . . . just like him. He felt something important was missing inside him. He's not acting himself after what happened between him and Gin. He's even slacking off in his work until now to avoid meeting Gin outside, so he's suspended. All of the members of Shinsengumi hated him when he announced that he canceled his wedding with Gin. He felt like crying again because of the stupid decision that he made in his supposed normal life, but he already cried non-stop the whole month, so there were no more tears he could shed.

"What a mess . . . ," he thought with a sad smile.

"Yeah, it's a real mess, Hijikata-san."

Looking behind him, he saw Sougo holding his bazooka and bombs. Realizing his life was in danger, he jumped outside his room immediately which was followed with a sudden explosion.

Sprawled on the grasses, he protested, "Why are you trying to kill me again, Sougo? Do you wanna commit seppuku?"

"That should be my line, Hijikata-san. As the vice-commander of Shinsengumi and as a samurai, you're a disgrace to us. You're running away from your battle, right? So . . . ." Okita cleared his throat and showed his sadistic smirk as he imitated Hijikata's line, "Do you wanna commit seppuku?"

"Oi! You're stealing my punch line!"

"Die, Hijikata~!" he added as he loaded his bazooka and aimed at him.

Hijikata tried to run again for his life and asked, "Why do you like to kill me again? I thought you want me to live happily?"

"Huh? Did I say that?"

"Hell, yes! From the first part of the fanfic!" he replied madly.

He recalled abruptly, "Ah, that? Well, you're not getting married to Danna, so there's no point for you to live. Sorry."

Unlocking his target, he fired his bazooka fearlessly.

"AaahhH~!" Luckily, the vice-commander dodged it but its strong explosion caused him to tumble to the next quarters. When his dizziness disappeared after that impact, he noticed the whole Shinsengumi surrounding him with bazookas and bombs on their hands, as well.

"What the hell is happening here . . .?" he thought while sweating.

"You're under arrest, Toshi!" said Kondo while pointing at him with a bazooka.

He got confused while sitting on the ground, "Why? Why am I arrested and what for, Kondo-san?"

He repeated, "Toshi, you're under arrest for . . ."

Silence.

"Umm . . . What is that again?" he scratched his head, still trying to remember the script they made. All of them had sweat drops. Okita ordered one of his men to whisper the script lines to their commander. After going to him and whispering the forgotten lines, Kondo laughed and thanked the man.

He continued, "Toshi, you're under arrest for running away from your responsibility as a soon-to-be husband!"

Hijikata blinked, "Eh? Is that it? And I already said to all of you that he's no longer my soon-to-be husband, right?"

Okita retorted, "Oi . . . What kind of attitude is that? Do you want to die?"

"Sougo, stop it!" commanded Kondo and faced the vice-commander seriously. "Toshi, you're not the Toshi we know, at all. You're running away now instead of facing it, and you're even denying the fact that you're running away. Do you really hate the decision you made for yourself?"

Hijikata's eyes wavered when Kondo asked that. He began to wonder and answered him, "Yeah, I hate it . . ."

"Why?"

Gulping, he hesitated to tell it, but it's better if they would know his reason. Thus, he told his thoughts, "When I made the decision, I thought that I'll never hurt Gintoki . . . To be frank, I'm pretty confident that he could handle any danger even if I'm with him, and even if we're fighting always, but I hurt him so much when we had a quarrel last month. I let my anger get the best of me and didn't let him explain clearly. It hurt me when I realized that I did that mistake. So, I made another decision to never see him again after hurting him."

They sighed heavily after listening, making him embarrassed. "Oi! Why are you sighing?"

Kondo gave him a piece of advice, "Toshi, you're too soft! When loving someone, you're ready to get hurt. It's the same with Gin-san, as well. I bet he's ready to take any blame after doing Mitsuba's request for your sake, and it's like how I love Otae-chan, too, even if I get beaten up by her all the time . . ."

After hearing it, he did recall that Gin was ready to die after lying to him. Understanding it, he asked with a smirk, "So, is that what they call damn, true love, Kondo-san?"

"Yeah. That's the authentic love which is hard to find these days," he smiled with a thumbs up.

Confirming how strong Gin's love was for him, he started to cry in relief suddenly. He thought that Gin just pitied him. "How foolish I am . . . to leave that bastard," he mumbled while crying with a smile.

Okita smirked gladly when he saw the old Hijikata back. He decided not to kill the vice-commander for now. His other comrades were crying with joy after learning what true love was from their commander. Kondo gave Hijikata a helping hand after they arranged his problem as friends. He accepted it and stood up with the same brave cobalt eyes. When they noticed it, the Shinsengumi screamed, "Welcome back, vice-commander!"

With a calm look, he replied, "I'm back, you bastards! Go back to your work now or, commit seppuku!"

Meanwhile at the Yorozuya's place . . .

"Gin-chan, I'm hungry . . . ," complained Kagura while cuddling Sadaharu weakly on the couch.

Gin, with swollen dead fish eyes, tied a rope on the edge of the roof while standing on the baluster of the front terrace. He replied without energy, "There's food in the fridge . . . Just eat whatever you want there . . ."

"Yipee! That means I can eat the meat, too, right?" shouted Kagura cheerfully like she's not really hungry, at all.

He reminded her, "Oi . . . Don't eat my meat . . . Eat Shinpachi's . . ."

"Aye!" she replied like she's imitating somebody's voice from a certain show.

"OI! Why are you deciding like you own my meat, Gin-san? And, Kagura-chan, you just ate your meat awhile ago before I left, and you just imitated Kappy's voice from Fairy Trail!" protested Shinpachi right after he entered the apartment.

"Stingy! And, what's wrong in imitating Kappy? We have the same voice!" she countered with pouting lips.

While they're arguing, Gin put the tied rope around his neck slowly and waved at them, "Guys, goodbye . . ."

Silence.

"Goodbye . . ."

Silence.

"Oi! Aren't you gonna stop me from committing suicide, you fools?" he snapped.

"Eh? Committing suicide? That's impossible! You're the main character of the show and this fanfiction. You're not gonna die. Trust me," said Shinpachi with a mocking smile.

He pointed out, "Oi! That's not a straight man act!"

"Shinpachi is right! How the hell you'll disappear if you're the main character? Even if our enemies always kick your butt, you're still alive, right?" explained Kagura as she agreed with Shinpachi.

Gin gritted his teeth in agitation, "Fine! I'll show you that tragedies do exist to main characters like me!"

Without hesitation, he spat his palms and rubbed his hands to get ready for committing the perfect suicide. Before jumping off the terrace, he shouted with a salute, "Adios!"

Shinpachi panicked when he really did it, so he ran towards the terrace and looked below, "Gin-san!"

Silence.

"Huh?" he blinked.

Somewhere blissful . . .

"Ahh . . . The sky is so blue . . . !" mumbled Gin as he felt himself flying already to heaven, but reality woke him up when Sadaharu peed on his face.

"Oi! Halt it! Stop peeing on me, you dirty dog!" he scolded while getting up from the ground, finding out that he's not dead.

"Sadaharu! Don't give up! Release all the acid from your body!" commanded Kagura while they're still on the terrace.

"Stop encouraging Sadaharu to pee on me, you brat! And, why am I still alive after falling down from there?" he asked while avoiding the inukami's beams of urine.

"Eh? You don't know? Your rope is too long! That's why you can't commit suicide just by falling from a second-story building! You're used to fall from higher places, right?" the boy with eyeglasses explained thoroughly.

"Eh? No way! When I can finally go to Laputa . . . Damn for being a main character!" he complained, stomping the ground angrily after Sadaharu peed.

Shinpachi exclaimed, "Are you still blaming yourself for being a main character? And, why do you want to go to Laputa? Will you cut it out and pull yourself together, Gin-san? You're not supposed to kill yourself just because of Hijikata-san!"

Gin froze upon hearing Hijikata's name.

He glared at Shinpachi, "He want me dead, Shinpachi . . . Just to show how much I love him, I'm ready to die for him if that's his wish-!"

Kagura interrupted with tears, "Are you an idiot, Gin-chan? What about me, Sadaharu and Shinpachi-kun? What about us if you're gone? Don't you care about how we care about you, especially the food you're giving us?"

"Hey, wait a sec! I think I'm hearing something wrong here in this sentimental part . . . ," mumbled Shinpachi with a crazy look.

"Kagura . . . ," his eyes became mellow as he stared at them. He realized that there were still people who cared about him . . . and the food he's buying from cheap stores.

"Danna!" a familiar voice called out to him. He turned his back and saw Yamazaki walking with a stick, and his body was full of bandages as if he's a mummy.

"Yamazaki, what are you doing here? And, what kind of fashion you're pulling off?" asked Gin with the same lazy look.

The spy of Shinsengumi scratched his head and began to sweat nervously. The sadistic first squad captain threatened him to tell the whole story and to apologize to Gin. He's, after all, the one who complicated the must-have-been-married couple's situation. He must take responsibility.

"I need to tell you something important, Danna!" he replied bravely, ready to accept his bitter life's end.

After five minutes inside the apartment . . .

"Die~!" shouted Gin, chasing the poor culprit, after listening to him.

"Yamazaki-san, is that really true? You're the one who did it? And, Gin-san! You kept that secret from us! We're supposed to do any job together, right?" yelled Shinpachi while halting Gin.

When Kagura caught Yamazaki, she immediately threw him, screaming and begging for his life, out the window without any mercy. She cried out, "How dare you destroy Gin-chan's wedding and buffet, you bastard?"

Shinpachi exclaimed, "Is the buffet really important to you?"

This time, Yamazaki has lost his life on the ground. . .

"Oi! I'm not dead yet!" he retorted.

Then a bottle from above knocked him out.

"You better rest in peace, you badminton addict!" screamed Gin after throwing the bottle.

"Gin-san, why did you do Okita-san's sister's last wish so far that you even keep it as a secret from us?" questioned Shinpachi seriously. Kagura sat on the couch, waiting for Gin's answer while he went closer to their leader.

Gin sighed while scratching his head, "Fine . . . I'll tell you. To be blunt, I really hate Toshirou from the start. I know you two know that."

They nodded.

He continued, "But, I dont realize that I'm starting to like that bastard every time I'm with him. Mitsuba is the one who made me realize it when she made her last request, and that request is only a secret between us, so I don't want you two to get involved. She wished that I'll make him happy by marrying him."

"That's a ridiculous request! Why did you still do it, Gin-san?"

Gin faced them with a serious look and answered, "I thought the same thing . . . However, I gave up. My growing feelings for him won't stop."

They had sweat drops on their faces after hearing it.

"Ahh . . . I think I'm getting crazy right now . . . ," the boy with eyeglasses said while massaging his forehead.

"Gin-chan, you're so stupid! You shouldn't just let the request be the reason why you want to marry To-chan! You love him, right?" explained Kagura while taking a chew of her sukonbu.

Shinpachi showed a bewildered look, "Who's To-chan? Is that Hijikata-san? You already made him a nickname?"

After Gin heard it, he smiled and patted Kagura's head, "You're right, Kagura. I'm an idiot for hurting To-chan's feelings and for letting her request be an excuse to marry him . . . I'm such an idiot."

Gin started to cry when he remembered how terrible he was to make Hijikata weep in pain. Shinpachi and the orange-haired girl noticed it, so they hugged him tightly to sympathize with him. The silver-haired samurai got surprised when they did it.

"Why are you doing this, you fools?"

Shinpachi answered with a smile, "Isn't it obvious? We are . . ."

". . . the Yorozuya! It's only natural to do this when someone needs it, you idiot!" continued Kagura with a wide toothy grin.

Gin smirked softly, appreciating the family-like warmth they're giving him. The pain he felt . . . lightened suddenly.

"Thanks a lot, you brats."

While they shared a big hug, Kagura commented abruptly, "Gin-chan, you stink . . ."

"Eh? Really?"

Shinpachi sweated, "Well, you got peed by Sadaharu awhile ago . . ."

Continue to the next page . . .