Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It is owned by the awesome Sorachi Hideaki-sensei, Sunrise and Shueisha.

Rating: T

Genre: Romance, Humor

Summary: Like many other girls during Valentines, Tsukuyo is on a mission to give chocolates to the people she knows. However, doing that is not easy with the harem and a lazy permed samurai being in the way. GintokixHarem, GintokixTsukuyo.

Author's Notes: Is there still someone reading this? What can I say? Err… I'm kinda tired of writing fanfics now. I'm considering of quitting fanfic-writing… I don't know.. I'm busy and writing has become super hard on me nowadays.. Should I quit? Should I take a vacation? Or should I continue?

Anyway, late fic for Valentines. I just pushed myself to the limits to finish this one before February ends, so don't blame me if the quality sucks. Not that my fics are really of good quality anyway.. And right, I still haven't planned anything for the next chapter of Truth. I just… don't know now. I have a… huge writer's block. Just like Sorachi, I wanna be a cheesecake.

The Valentine Crisis

A Gintama Fanfiction

By Kurasuchi~

XOXOX

CHAPTER 3

The Day of Judgment

XOXOX

Today is the day: it is Valentine's Day.

Taking that certain fact to heart, Tsukuyo only tried to calm herself down by puffing out another round of smoke from her kiseru. She knew that she would only give out giri chocos to the people she knew, but she just felt so nervous. The fact that she hasn't done something like that before only added to her burden.

And now, Hinowa was in front of her, smiling so brightly as always.

She sighed.

"Tsukuyo, are you now ready for the big day? I'm sorry if I can't lend you a hand, I've also tried asking help from the other Hyakka but they declined my request—"

"I told them to do so, Hinowa," she countered. "We don't need to make them do unnecessary things. I can handle this by myself."

Hinowa smiled at this, which made the blonde woman feel a bit cautious. "I know that you'd say that, so I took some measures."

"What? Why did you do that?! I told you I can handle this alone just fine!"

"Now, now, don't be too hasty, Tsukuyo. Let me see your chocolates first."

Taken aback by this notion, the Courtesan of Death was left with no other choice but to comply. She then gave the paper bag full of different kinds of chocolates to the woman in front of her.

Hinowa examined each chocolate in glee. "Wow, you've certainly made them well. Good work, Tsukuyo." Noticing a box of choco that was a lot larger and more special than any other chocolates in the bag, she then gave the latter a knowing smile. "This one is for Gin-san, isn't it?" she asked, pointing out to the box of special choco on her hand.

Tsukuyo nodded. "Yeah, it is. What about it?"

"Why is it different from the rest?"

"Because he loves sweets, that's why."

"Is that enough of a reason?"

"Yeah."

Hinowa's smile grew even greater. "Really? But aren't you giving out giri choco? No matter how I look at this one, this is not one of them. This one is… a hundred percent true and authentic… honmei choco."

Tsukuyo was taken aback by this. "What?!" she demanded, confused. "What are you talking about, Hinowa?! This is no honmei choco, this is just a giri choco! Nothing more, nothing less!"

"But just look at this closely!" she pointed out, bringing out the chocolate near the Shinigami Dayuu's face. "This is more exquisite than the other ones! No matter what you say, everyone will think of this as a honmei choco!"

"N-No way… w-what's a honmei choco all about, anyway? Believe me, Hinowa… I didn't even think of giving that bastard some honmei choco, ever!"

Hinowa's smile never faltered, which worried the young woman. "Didn't I tell you? Honmei choco are usually given by girls to the guys they like. So that must mean that you like Gin-san, right?"

"What?! No! I don't even—"

"You do like him as a friend," she countered, chuckling a bit. And as a result, Tsukuyo was unable to say anything.

"N-No, it's not like that. . ."

"You see Tsukuyo, honmei choco means 'true feelings chocolate'. It became a custom here in our country to give honmei chocos to the ones we have feelings for. We give honmei choco to our husbands, to our boyfriends, to the ones we have romantic feelings for… and some even use this as an opportunity to confess their feelings."

Tsukuyo was speechless upon hearing this. She never expected that honmei chocos are like that. And if it's indeed true that the chocolate she made for Gintoki looked like honmei choco, then he'd probably get the wrong idea—and such a thing is troublesome.

She entertained the idea of making another one for him, but that will only waste her time. She can also buy him another piece of chocolate, but that would seem unfair to him, given the fact that the rest of her chocolates were handmade. She also had no more money left. Thus, she can only come up with a single decision.

"If that's so, then I won't give him any chocolates."

"Really? Are you really sure, Tsukuyo?" asked Hinowa, who seemed rather unfazed by what the former had said. She still smiled brightly as always, and the way she looked at her seemed to depict that she was scheming something. "But anyway, it all depends on you if you will give it or not. You need to get going now, right?"

And at that moment, footsteps were heard throughout the whole room. The shoji then slid open, revealing a silver-haired man who had just flicked the booger out of his nose.

"Since everyone's so busy, I've asked someone to accompany you in distributing them. It's okay if it's him, right?"

Tsukuyo gulped the lump on her throat. She then looked at the man near the shoji, only to realize that the man she wanted to see the least was just right in front of her, staring at her with an annoyed expression.

"Oi, Hinowa. Just what do you mean that I'll be accompanied by this guy? I'd rather go alone than go around the surface with him!"

Hinowa just smiled at her. "Now, now… easy, Tsukuyo. It's not that bad, right? And besides, it's not like he's doing this without payment. He's just doing his usual odd jobs."

"That doesn't mean that I need to go with him! If you're going to hire someone, then you could have at least hired Kagura! She's a Yorozuya as well!"

"Oi, oi, what do you mean by that, huh?!" exclaimed Gintoki, who now looked extremely annoyed. "What do you mean by hiring Kagura? Are you saying that I'm incompetent? Just so you know, if that brat's with you then all your chocolates are going to vanish into her stomach! That's just how vicious she can be!"

"Shut up, you permed bastard! I won't be giving chocolates around town with you around!"

"Huh?! Just what the hell do you mean by that? Of course I won't go around the town with you around! Why the hell would I do that?!" he replied, grumbling to himself afterwards. "Aaaah, dammit! I'm outta here! Hinowa-san, I'm sorry but I have to decline your offer. See ya."

Gintoki was about to start walking away when Hinowa stopped him. "Gin-san, wait a sec!" she exclaimed. "Don't go just yet! You still haven't heard what I'm gonna say!"

He just rolled his eyes and pointed out to the bag of chocolates held by the blonde woman in front of him. "I bet it's something like accompanying her to distribute those chocolates, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I? Don't underestimate me! You know, Gin-san knows exactly what's going on your minds! Gin-san has ESP! Gin-san is an esper—"

"And you're an idiot," scoffed Tsukuyo.

"…And Gin-san is an idi— OIIIIIII! Why did you do that?!"

Tsukuyo just smoked for a little bit. "It's not my fault that you fell for that."

Feeling too lazy to argue with her, he just grumbled to himself and leaned against the wall with his hands crossed on his chest. "Anyway, I'm not going. I'm not doing that stupid thing. I still haven't forgotten what that woman did to me after all my efforts on teaching her how to make chocolates yesterday!" he exclaimed, pointing out to Tsukuyo.

"You deserved it," said the aforementioned woman, brushing his comment off. "And don't worry about today's job. I can handle it just fine."

"What did you say?!"

"What?!"

"Stop that, the both of you!" hushed Hinowa, who now decided to intercept between them. She then turned to Gintoki and faced him with a smile. "Gin-san, I know that this is sudden but is it okay for you to accompany Tsukuyo on handing out the chocolates? She doesn't know much about the surface, so it's best for her to have someone around."

"I told you I ain't taking the job. It's too troublesome," reminded Gintoki.

"I know. But… are you still going to refuse if you have this?"

And with that statement, Gintoki looked at the piece of paper on Hinowa's hands. Examining it from every angle, he can only gulp the huge lump on his throat as he realized that what she has on her hands was no other than a VIP coupon for the best club in whole Yoshiwara.

"This is the Valentine edition coupon for this shop. If you go with Tsukuyo, I won't only pay you—I'll also give you this ticket for free. How does that sound?"

Gintoki tried to weigh his options. He can decline her request and end up being lonely this Valentines, or he can accompany Tsukuyo and get that exclusive ticket for free. No matter how he looked at it, the odds were in favor with him.

Screw the fact that Tsukuyo and all the other girls had beaten him up to death yesterday; he's going to get a lot of chocolates for himself today!

He then faced Tsukuyo with a knowing look, which confused her greatly. "Well then, it's getting late now so we need to get going. Let's go."

"What? Oi, aren't you opposed to the idea? Do you mean you're going to accept it just because of that?!"

"So what if I do? That's something only men like me could understand. . . Something like that is my ultimate oasis in this desert called life!"

Tsukuyo sighed. "Man, you're hopeless. Alright, since both you and Hinowa really do insist, then I guess I have no more choices left, huh?"

XOXOXOX

Gintoki tried his hardest to control himself. He knew that he should behave himself and do what he was told, but seeing the target of his affections just right in front of him frustrated him greatly. It was just right there… and yet it was out of his reach.

And he did not like it one bit.

He and Tsukuyo went all over Kabuki-chou in order to give giri choco that was supposed to be from Yoshiwara. And just as expected, he became somewhat of a tour guide for the Shinigami Dayuu, who was unfamiliar with most of the areas in the surface. And even though something like that isn't hard for him, what she's doing is a complete torture for him.

Sakata Gintoki lived for sweets. He'll definitely sacrifice anything just to get his daily sugar intake, and he's willing to bet everything just for the sake of his sweets. And despite the fact that he agreed not to do anything in order to get the coupon that will enable him to splurge onto heaven for tonight, seeing his beloved chocolates being given to the people who do not even have the same love for it as he did frustrated him greatly.

And with that thought in mind, as he and Tsukuyo were walking towards the Yagyuu mansion after giving a piece of chocolate to Seita, he asked her one simple question:

"Oi, where's my chocolate?"

It was one simple question, and he expected her to reply in the same manner as she did whenever he asked her. However, she reacted rather… different, in his opinion. As soon as he asked her about that, she suddenly acted so flustered and panicky that even he had a hard time deciphering her actions. But even with all the awkwardness that she kept on doing, it all came down to this:

"You won't receive one. Consider that as punishment for what you did yesterday."

And she said that with a straight face, her expression devoid of any hint of awkwardness which she had displayed just a while ago. Unsatisfied with her answer, he kept on asking her the same question again and again, but to no avail. Tsukuyo kept on coming with the same reply, and from the looks of it, there's a good chance that he'll never get any chocolates from her.

And he hated it.

He needed to control himself, he told himself over and over, but his willpower wasn't enough for the temptress in the form of chocolates that kept on flaunting itself in front of him. That sweet aroma, that delectable texture, that soothing aura—those chocolates inside that paper bag were definitely of high quality, and feelings akin to jealousy and envy were swirling deep inside of him at the thought of those guys eating her chocolates and savoring it in sheer delight… while he, on the other hand, just stood there in the corner, content on watching them eat the chocolates that was supposed to be for him.

He kept on cursing to himself.

Dammit! My plan was perfect! It should've gone smoothly if they haven't found out about it! Aaaaah, this is so frustrating! I need to have my chocolates and yet here I am, assisting this woman while she gave out giri choco! Aaaaaaaaaah, dammit!

He brought his hand onto his head and ruffled his silver hair, as he continued on thinking about the matter at hand.

Think… think.. think! Gintoki, you're a grown up now so you better behave as one! You can always get some chocolate anytime, but something like that offer comes only once in a blue moon, especially for a penniless guy like you! Aaaaaaah, dammit! Special service or chocolates, which one should I choose?!

Aaargh, damn it! It's so hard to choose! I can't part from either of the two!

"Oi, Tsukuyo. . . Aren't you being too harsh on me? Why aren't you giving me any chocolate? I am the one who saved Yoshiwara, you know! I'm the one who taught you how to make chocolates! Shouldn't you give something like that to me as well?!"

Tsukuyo just glared daggers at him. "No. No way in hell."

"What did you say?!"

He did not receive any reply from her, much to his chagrin. His already deep scowl only became even deeper.

He kept on asking her relentlessly, and she gave the same reply relentlessly as well. Thus, he had no other choice but to relent to her wishes and observe as she gave out chocolates to every guy he knows… except himself.

Those small chocolate hearts reached the hands of all the folks in the Yagyuu estate, courtesy of Toujou Ayumu. They even went to Edo Castle and gave the Shogun, Tokugawa Shigeshige, a chocolate as well via his sister, Soyo. And since they're at the castle anyway, chocolates were also handed to the Mimawarigumi Commander, Sasaki Isaburo though he seemed to dislike it for it didn't look elite enough for his tastes.

Chocolates also reached the hands of the escorts in Takamahagara, as well as the okamas such as Saigou and Agomi. The latter were kinda reluctant to receive those though, since they believe that they are the ones who should give Valentine chocolates. And in turn, Gintoki himself received his very first Valentine chocolate: those ones that were given by the okama.

Tsukuyo snickered at him for this. Gintoki, on the other hand, shoved the chocolates onto the okama's mouth, telling them that he'd rather receive chocolates from ugly girls than men.

"That's a waste. Aren't you asking for chocolates? They've given you what you wanted, why didn't you accept it?" taunted Tsukuyo. He only glared at her in spite.

"You bitch…" he trailed off, gritting his teeth. "I'd rather not receive any chocolates than to eat something as hideous as that!"

Much to his surprise, that bastard of a robot named Sakata Kintoki received a chocolate as well, even though he was still under maintenance by Hiiraga Gengai. And of course, the latter was given a chocolate as well. Exhausted, they then took a stop at a nearby convenience store and when he was looking for the latest issue of Jump (it was Wednesday after all), he then crossed paths with Hattori Zenzou, who was also given a chocolate. Tsukuyo then added that Hinowa had told her to tell the ninja that he should come back to Yoshiwara again and she'll even give him some service by the means of The Fugly Club.

They then walked on for some more, and they reached the park where the MADAO, Hasegawa Taizou, was staying. Both he and the Musashi-like person who was revealed to be Nishiki Matsugorou received chocolates as well, and both were overjoyed at the fact that they have something that they can finally eat. They also met Katsura Kotarou (It's not Zura, it's Katsura!) along the way and both he and Elizabeth were given chocolates, despite the fact that the latter's true gender is still questionable. A chocolate was also sent via mail to Sakamoto Tatsuma, and Gintoki wondered why Yoshiwara would even bother giving him something like that since they've never met or anything. However, what surprised him the most was the fact that Tsukuyo had also sent chocolates via mail to folks at the Kiheitai, the Harusame and even the Tendoushuu.

Of course, no address was written on the mail for the three latter groups, and yet Tsukuyo believed that it would be delivered to them if they've just written the group's name on the envelope. Much to his surprise, she had also sent chocolates addressed to Hata (Baka) Ouji and Jii, Taka-tin, Hedoro and almost all the oneshot characters that they have in Gintama in one way or another.

"Oi… Why are you even going out of your way to give them chocolates? Yoshiwara didn't have anything to do with them right?"

Tsukuyo just looked at him as if he had just asked the most stupid question on Earth. "Are you serious? I didn't expect that you don't know anything about that. You see, Hinowa got a message from the gorilla mangaka to give out chocolates to every single one of the male cast that ever appeared in the series. I'm surprised that you can't even guess that kind of thing, Gintoki."

"How the hell would I ever guess that kind of thing?! And what did you say? That gorilla mangaka told Hinowa something about that?! What the hell is with that?!"

And despite his tsukkomi that would absolutely make Shinpachi proud, Tsukuyo just continued on walking until they've somehow ended up meeting the said plain guy of the Yorozuya.

"G-Gin-san… Tsukuyo-san… why are the two of you together?" he asked in disbelief.

"Just some job given by Yoshiwara," answered Gintoki. "And please rephrase your question. It just doesn't sound right."

"Gintoki's right, Shinpachi," said Tsukuyo as she took a puff of smoke out of her kiseru. She then took a box of chocolate out of the paper bag on her hands and gave it to the young teenager. And as soon as she did that, the boy had an indescribable expression on his face which he later explained to be an expression of extreme joy and delight—since that was the first time ever for that day that he had received chocolates.

And as they've left the cherry boy straightman of the Yorozuya, they then continued on walking through the streets and as they kept on walking, a small box fell out of the paper bag and ended up lying on the ground. This was unnoticed by the blonde woman in front of him, and a sudden idea flashed through the silver-haired samurai's mind.

The bag that Tsukuyo was holding was full of chocolates. And since the small box on the ground fell from that paper bag, then that only meant that the box was a Valentine chocolate as well. However, what he noticed was that the box on the ground was far different from the rest—that box was bigger and fancier, and it looked more extravagant as compared to the rest of the chocolates.

He smirked to himself.

Heh. If I were to think of this logically, no one could ever receive this kind of chocolate except for me, right? After all, I'm the main character! And if we're talking about Yoshiwara, then it also suits me since I'm the renowned Yoshiwara's savior!

He then looked at the girl in front of him who was still walking forward, with no idea of his discovery.

Heheheheh. You claim that you won't give me anything, but you're just playing hard-to-get eh? Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't be embarrassed about this since I'll take this chocolate now. . .

And with that thought in mind, Gintoki then tried to sneak out the chocolate behind her back… and as he ran as fast as he could away from her sight, Tsukuyo then noticed this and chased him as fast as she could.

"Oiiiiiii, Gintoki! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Come back here!"

Gintoki thought that he would get away from her successfully. However, right when the streets reached a turn, he just went straight ahead and crashed to a wall, dropping the box of chocolates onto the ground. A group of kunais also made its way against the wall, pinning him and rendering him completely defenseless.

"Damn you…" he trailed off as he wiped off the blood that trickled on his face. "You'll pay for this, dammit… Why did you do that?! I'm just taking something that's supposed to be mine!"

Tsukuyo became flustered once again, much to his confusion. "F-Fool! Didn't I tell you that you won't receive any chocolates? This isn't for you!"

"If it isn't for me then who the hell is it for?! Don't tell me you're going to give it to the Shinsengumi!"

"I won't! It's not for them! And it's not for you either! Just shut up and do your job!"

Grumbling to himself, he then realized that arguing with her about this matter was useless. And thus, as he heaved a deep sigh, he then led the way towards the Shinsengumi Headquarters, their supposed last stop for the day.

Damn it.. Why is she like that?! I just wanted to receive chocolates like the rest of them. Isn't she being unfair? I mean, I've accompanied her and all, but she won't even give me even a single piece of giri choco?

And as they've reached the Shinsengumi Headquarters, the both of them had reached an unspoken consensus that they'll just place the chocolates for Okita Sougo, Hijikata Toushirou, Yamazaki Sagaru and Kondou Isao on the mailbox. And as she did that, Gintoki had another sudden flash of inspiration.

He was extremely irritated right now, and such words would be an understatement. Not only did the Shingami Dayuu torture him on the day which was supposed to be a day which he truly enjoyed, she did not even bother on giving him any chocolates. On the other hand, those Shinsengumi bastards who did nothing for Yoshiwara got a plenty. It is really unfair, and no matter how he looked at it, he really got the short end of the stick.

It would be for the best if no one received chocolates at all. That way, everyone would be as miserable as him. Ah, if he can only take those chocolates for himself. . .

And as he thought of that same fact, he then realized the simplest thing that he should do.

He should just take those chocolates for himself. Plain and simple, bright as day.

And thus, when Tsukuyo told him to get going as she had finished placing the choco on the mailbox, he then sneaked out the chocolates and ran away as fast as he could once again.

This time though, the one who chased him was not Tsukuyo—it was no other than the gorilla commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondou Isao.

"YOROZUYAAAAAAAAAAAAA! GIVE ME BACK MY CHOCOLATE! THOSE ARE THE CHOCOLATES THAT OTAE-SAN HAD GIVEN TO MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"SHUT UP, YOU DAMNED GORILLA! THIS AIN'T YOURS, IT'S MINE! IT'S MY CHOCOLATE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!"

"NO, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD SHUT UP! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS THAT YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY VALENTINE CHOCOLATES!"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?! DAMN YOU, YOU'VE JUST HIT MY SORE SPOT! I'M GONNA FRIGGIN' KILL YA, YOU DAMN GORILLA BASTARD!"

But before they can even finish their argument, a kunai had made its way onto their heads, knocking out the both of them in the process.

Puffing out the smoke out of her lips, Tsukuyo then let out a sigh.

"You bastards…"

XOXOXOX

It was already late in the afternoon, and both Gintoki and Tsukuyo had just finished distributing all the chocolates that they were supposed to give. And even though there have been a lot of attempts to take the chocolate by the former, it still ended up being fruitless and none of the chocolates were left.

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki at the corner of her eye. He looked like a spoiled little brat who was sulking and so mad for not being able to take what he wanted… and seeing him in such a state made her giggle, though a part of her wanted to tease him more to see if he could actually tolerate it.

She could feel that Gintoki was really frustrated for not being able to receive any chocolate for that day, while everyone he knew received one, including those people who haven't gotten any screentime at all. And since she knew that he was an extreme sugar lover, she can guess just how much envious he is of everyone right now. She can't really blame him for acting like what he did earlier.

But it's not like he doesn't have any chocolate at all. On the contrary, he was the one with the best and most special chocolate that she had ever made. Even so, she could not muster the courage to give it to him. She was nervous.

And as Gintoki stopped on his tracks as they've already arrived in front of the gates of Yoshiwara, Tsukuyo breathed in deeply and tried to call his attention.

"Gintoki. . . I, uh. . ."

He only looked at her with his dead fish eyes. "What? You finally decided on giving me some chocolate?"

And at those words, Tsukuyo remembered what Hinowa had just said to her earlier: that what she did looked like honmei choco, and that giving out honmei chocos would mean that one is romantically interested or romantically involved with the guy.

As such, thoughts of her giving the chocolate to Gintoki were left in vain.

"Uh.. thanks for accompanying me for today. I really appreciate it."

Gintoki didn't say a thing. He just smirked to himself for a bit and walked off, raising his hands in farewell.

Thus, with that moment, the afternoon passed quietly with Tsukuyo not giving anything to Gintoki, and with Gintoki not receiving any chocolate from any girl he knew.

XOXOXOX

"Gin-san, why are you still here? Aren't you going home?"

The said man, despite being told to go home, did not even budge a bit from his seat. He still sat atop a cold bench in a small, abandoned park in the suburbs of Edo, as he continued on watching the night skies in melancholy.

"Hasegawa-san, I'm not really in the mood to go home right now. So for now, let me borrow this bench for a while and let me drown in my sorrows."

The MADAO just looked at him in confusion. "But Gin-san, didn't you say that you've received a coupon to Yoshiwara? Aren't you going to claim it?"

Gintoki let out a sigh. "Didn't I tell you? I'm not in the mood. And besides, I can always change the date on that coupon. That coupon is good for a week."

Seeing that nothing would make him change his mind, Hasegawa was left with no choice but to just sit on the other side of the bench. Noticing this, Gintoki then looked at the man beside him.

"Hasegawa-san, did you receive any chocolates today?"

"Eh?! Why did you ask that?" replied Hasegawa, who was acting all fidgety and embarrassed. "Well, aside from the chocolates that you and your woman had given me, I also received one from the other homeless girls… and of course, Hatsu also gave me—"

"Ah, alright, alright. I get it. Sorry if I asked," cut off Gintoki, as he even became more irritated at the fact that the MADAO had received a lot more chocolates than him. He was even pondering on the fact that he shouldn't have rejected the chocolates that the okamas had given him. That way, he would at least have some chocolate.

Staying here any longer would just make him more depressed since there's a good chance that the Musashi-like person received chocolates too. And since he doesn't want to know anything about that, he decided to go home, even though he'll be facing Shinpachi who obviously got some chocolate for Valentines.

He sighed as he stood up the bench, and looked at the Madao behind him. "Well then, I'm off now. See ya."

And after bidding farewell, he then resumed on walking throughout the cold streets of Kabuki-chou.

He didn't know what time it was, but he guessed that it was about seven o'clock in the evening now. It was still early than usual, but it's better than to stay there on the streets, looking at couples who were acting all lovey-dovey at the fact that it's Valentine's Day today. All the establishments were fully-booked as well; he can see couples acting like lovesick teenagers as they went on to love hotels, and all the people that passed through him were either couples or guys who carry a lot of chocolates. Realizing the fact that he was the only one who was alone and obviously lonely that night, he became even more depressed and his desire to go home only increased even further. At least, once he reaches home, he can sulk in his room and sleep the night away.

And thus, as he kept on trudging through the cold and lonely streets of Kabuki-chou,he then saw a faint silhouette of a woman who was standing near his house. Curious about it, Gintoki then went closer to it, only to find Shimura Tae right in front of him.

"O-Otae… What are you doing here? Don't you have work to do?"

Tae just smiled at him. She then reached out her hand to him, presenting him a small pink box on her hands.

Gintoki gulped. I-Is that. . . a Valentine chocolate? Is that really a Valentine chocolate..?

IS THAT REALLY A VALENTINE CHOCOLATE?!

Telling himself that he shouldn't assume things, he then asked her, "What is this?"

"Oh my, Gin-san, are you that slow? It's obviously your Valentine chocolates."

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He didn't want to admit it, but he was ridiculously happy right now. He thought that he'll spend the whole day without receiving anything for Valentines, but it seems that he was wrong. He finally had a Valentine chocolate. He finally had one!

"B-But… didn't you say that you won't give me one? I didn't expect this one at all."

"That's just how it is," she answered with a smile. "Isn't that how surprises work? What, don't you want it?"

"N-No, it's not like that at all! I want it! I seriously want it! Thank you very much!"

Overwhelmed with joy, Gintoki reached out to the small box of chocolate with trembling hands. And as soon as the box of chocolates reached his possession, Tae flashed him one of her sweetest smiles once more, and he just couldn't help but to smile back.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Her smile never faltered. "You're welcome. And oh, by the way, inside the box are two chocolates: one is a homemade, the other is a store-bought one. Enjoy."

Ignoring the last part of her sentence, he then bid farewell and he proceeded to continue on his way home. And as he reached the flight of stairs, he then saw that Yagyuu Kyuubei was right there, standing at the corner.

"Oi, Kyuubei, what are you doing here?"

Kyuubei looked up as soon as she heard his voice. She then brought out a small box and shoved it right to his face, hitting his nose in the process.

"O-Ouch! What the hell is that for, huh?! What are you trying to do?!"

"Valentine chocolates. I'm giving it to you."

And as soon as those words left the young Yagyuu's lips, Gintoki was left speechless. "O-Oi… are you serious? You're really giving me Valentine chocolates?"

Kyuubei only nodded with a straight face. "Yeah. However, you have to give me something in return."

Gintoki's expression faltered a bit. Of course she'll be giving it with compensation in return. That's just how the world goes.

"W-What do you want in return then?" he finally asked.

"I want you to give me Tae-chan's homemade chocolates," she demanded with a serious look. "If you don't agree with it, then I have no choice but to kill you."

Gintoki smirked at this. "I agree with it then. You don't have to tell me twice," he replied, leaving out the part that the said condition was actually favorable, since he didn't have to eat Tae's terrible dark matter. Good thing that she had given him two pieces of chocolate!

And as he did what he was told and bid farewell to the young Yagyuu, he then went up and slid the shoji open. It was quite late now, and as expected, Kagura was already asleep on his closet. However, he noticed that a box of chocolate addressed to 'Gin-chan' was also placed on the table.

He smiled at this.

"I guess I have to thank you too, Kagura-chan," he mumbled to himself as he opened the door to his room. And as he switched on the lights, what greeted him was the sight of a woman covered in chocolate. The said woman then threw her arms around him as soon as she saw him, but he just swatted it off. This turned on the woman even more.

"Oi, you damn bitch. What are you doing here?!" he growled, irritated at the fact that his room was all dirty now.

"Gin-san, your chocolate is now here! I am Sarutobi Ayame, a high-class exquisite kind of life-sized chocolates that you can eat all night! You may also call me Sacchan~"

And as soon as she said that, Sacchan then tried to bring her chocolate-covered body to him but he kept on dodging it. Irritated, he then pushed her to the corner.

"Oi! Just what the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to ruin my day?!"

Sacchan just shrugged it off and continued on her one person play. And in the middle of her fantasies, she then gave Gintoki a small box of chocolate.

He was taken aback by this. "W-What is this?"

"A true honmei chocolate, obviously! Gin-san, that's only an appetizer! Your real honmei choco is me! Now, eat me, Gin-san! EAT ME~!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Gintoki tied her up, much to her delight. He then threw her outside the window, but before he did that, he thanked her first for the chocolates.

He sighed. Now that the nuisance is finally gone, he can now get his good night's sleep. He won't even sulk today, since despite how shitty that day was earlier, he still received chocolates from them. And that's enough for him.

He still felt bitter that Tsukuyo didn't give him one though.

Reaching out for a change of clothes, the telephone rang, making him stop on his tracks. Answering it hastily, he was then surprised to find the Shinigami Dayuu on the other line, asking him to meet up with her tonight.

XOXOXOX

Gintoki didn't know the reason why she asked him to meet up at the bridge, though he had a pretty good idea why they'll meet up. She probably decided to beat around the bush and give him the chocolates that were long overdue, and due to that fact, he can only smirk to himself at the thought.

And so as soon as he reached the bridge, he then saw the blonde young woman standing right in front of him.

He then raised his hand in greeting. "Yo. You'll be giving me my chocolate now, aren't you?"

He expected her to act all fidgety and embarrassed just like what she did earlier, but this time, she only gave him the box of chocolate straightforwardly, her eyes full of resolve, despite the fact that she was trembling all over out of embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry if I didn't give you anything earlier. I… well, I just didn't have the courage to give it to you before, so—"

Much to her surprise, he then reached out to the box of chocolates and brought it closer to his face, examining it closely. He then smirked to himself. "Heh, isn't this the one that fell out of that bag earlier? I'm right then! This one is for me!"

Tsukuyo then took a smoke in order to calm herself down. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Gintoki took a good look at the box of chocolate in front of him. He knew that it looked good at first glance, but finally seeing it right in his hands just seemed to make it even more exquisite. Taking a huge gulp, he untied the ribbon and opened the box, and the sight of the chocolate greeted him.

He tried his hardest to control himself from wolfing down the chocolate right at that moment. It looked so good and delicious at the same time that he wanted to eat it immediately, and yet he didn't want to touch it since it seemed that it would be waste, since it looked like a lot of effort was put into it. The chocolate was placed in a strawberry-shaped mold, and there were even melted candies on it. The words "Happy Valentine's Day" was written on it, and it was artistically and carefully designed that he actually had a hard time accepting the fact that the Shinigami Dayuu was actually the one who created this.

"A-Are you sure you're the one who made this?" he asked, which earned him a slight nod. Taking that fact to heart, he became even more embarrassed at this. And thus, he then took a bite out of it to hide his embarrassment, but it seemed to have a different effect. "T-This is really good. I didn't expect you to be this good. Thanks."

Since she didn't reply, he then looked at her and noticed that she was really flushed and embarrassed right now, but she just held it in as she continued on clenching her trembling hand. Taking a deep breath, she then looked up at him and their eyes met.

"So… what kind of chocolate would this be?" he suddenly asked her, which made her even more flustered.

Gintoki didn't know why he asked that kind of question. Normally, he wouldn't ask that kind of thing and he wouldn't even care about such a thing, but somehow those words just came out of his mouth without further notice.

However, what she said in reply surprised him greatly.

"T-That's… that's a honmei choco."

And she said that with her cheeks flushed, her already tight grip on the side of her clothes becoming even more tighter than before. Completely taken aback by this, Gintoki tried to think of words that he can use a reply, but nothing seemed to appear on his head at that time.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea though. It's not what you think it is. It's just that… Yoshiwara is truly grateful to you. That chocolate… represents the true feelings of Yoshiwara. . ."

Upon hearing this, Gintoki gave out a slight chuckle, which irked the young woman beside him.

"W-What?! Why did you just laugh? Is it bad?"

"No, no, it's not like that," he said, smirking a bit. He then leaned against the bridge's railings and looked at the night skies, all content on how his day turned out.

"Honmei choco, huh?"

He smiled.

"Well, if it's like this, then I wouldn't mind another one next Valentines."

『おわり』

More Author's Notes:

Okay, okay. I'm kidding. I'm not going to quit. But you know what they say, jokes are usually half right, so… I'm not going to deny that the thought of quitting actually crossed my mind from time to time. Though the only thing that prevented me from doing so are your reviews. That's right. If it weren't for your reviews, then I won't be able to write as often as I am now. So thank you so much!

Anyway, the new episode of Gintama is coming out on March 7. Aren't you excited? And oh, have you played the Chinese otome game as well? Seriously, if you still haven't heard of it, then just look for the thread that I've started on YS!

So yeah, super late update. I'm so sorry. Chapter 13 of Truth would probably out next week, if I'm not that busy. Then the White Day oneshot sequel would come out, followed by Truth Chapter 14, then followed by the HijiMitsu lemon that an-co-xx told me to do. Yeah. So see you guys next time!