CHAPTER 2

( Holding someone's hand doesn't always mean something like that)

(Morning after)

Gintoki arrived at the house at 7 in the morning. His face looked so tired like he's body is lacking sugar."I'm home." He yelled while removing his boots. An ascending sound of footsteps answered him. It was the yato girl who just got up late with ragged hair came running to him. Her pajama is still on.

"Gin-chan, you didn't tell me that you went to a morning jogging… You didn't even bother to wake me up." She said, frowning.

"No I didn't. And even if I did, why would I wake someone who slept very late just to watch that Megadeth televised Gigantour? And your eye bugs tell it all." He pointed her dark blue eye bugs.

"That's eyeliner."

"Stop lying."

"Welcome home Gin-san. I never thought that you have an early morning exercise." Shinpachi interrupted wearing an apron and feather duster. "So how was it?" He asked.

"I didn't have a morning exercise or morning jogging. I haven't slept well at all so I'm going to take a nap. So don't do something stupid." He answered monotonously as he passed the two and went on the couch. Kagura followed him as Shinpachi went to the kitchen to do some house chores.

"You mean you didn't go home since last night you said that?" Asked Kagura while doing her hair.

He was about lay down his tired body when he suddenly stopped and tries to imagine what really happened last night."Last night I was walking and then…"

.

.

.

(Last Night)

"No, I have no work to do. I just couldn't sleep that's all. So I'll accompany you for a while" Tsukuyo answered softly, with her smoking pipe already out.

"Just don't make me pay after this." He answered while staring at the moon once more.

"You're such a cheap skate after all." She answered while they walk away the Yoshiwara.

They continued to walk along the street, not even wondering where to go and just keep walking straight wherever the street ends. Tsukuyo arms wrapped tighter to his' and she didn't even realize it. She felt so comfortable with it like it's her first time to hold somebody's arm so carefree. She never holds someone's arm like this before, no, not even once. A smile crept her face.

"It's the first time I saw you walking like this." He spoke softly, breaking the silence between them.

She looked at him and wondered what just came to him. "What do you mean to 'walking like this'?"

"You always glare around. It isn't obvious but I can see it whenever you're around, looking for something suspicious, being alert all the time…" He sighed. "isn't it stressful?"

No doubt that the silver haired samurai was right. But she is the leader of Hyakka and she and her troops' job is to guard and protect Yoshiwara from crooks and criminals. They maintain the town's orderliness 24/7. But, did she ever give time to herself? She can't even remember the last time she took a day-off.

She looked down and smirked. "You're really stupid Gintoki. My job is to patrol the Yoshiwara, of course, I always observe any suspicious acts. I don't want those things that happened before repeat again." She answered with a soft voice.

Gintoki stopped and faced her with a serious look from the eyes. Tsukuyo was a bit surprised at him. "Uhmm… What's the matter?" Her Heart starts beating fast.

"Don't get your job too serious. You always have comrades to rely on." He said."They might get worried on you. That would be more pain in the ass. Just take a break if your body tells you to."

He looked away and continued walking as they both shrugged it off. Silence filled around the two again when suddenly a drunken man who was walking across the street looked at them and stopped."
"Oi there! Yeah you two!*hick* It's too late to have a date. It's passed 3:00 *Hick*.You should go home already*Hick*" He shouted.

They both stopped seeing the drunken man with a bottle in his right hand. "Well yea. It's too late for you to go home because your wife will surely beat you up!" Shouted Gintoki but the man ignored him and keep on walking in zigzag.

She then realized that holding his arms tightly seems to be wrong. She was not her girlfriend or wife anyway. They're not even a couple. He's just a person she used to know. She was embarrassed in that very moment.

She loosens his arms until it was freed and stopped with her face down. "Sorry."

"Huh?" He looked back with a blank look. "For what?"

"I was holding your arms like I was your girlfriend and… Uhmm… I was…" She was stammering like her brain is now drying up of words to say. Her face is starting to get red.

"… And …" The words just suddenly died out the moment she felt that warmness again wrapped her arms. She didn't expect that warmness.

"You said you'll accompany me tonight, Right?" He said scratching the back of his head. "Just don't give a damn about what that drunken guy just said." He crouch a little and tilted his head and looked at her in the eyes."*sighed* even woman like you gets affected in such non-sense words" He said with a smile in his lips as he shove gently the strands her hair away from her eyes with the tip of his finger. Tsukuyo's eyes widen, her cheeks start to burn crazy. She was unable to release the eye contact from Gintoki until he pulled out.

"There's a park near the end of this street. We should take a rest there for a while. Wanna go there?" He pointed.

She just nodded. "What was that feeling again? I felt like I'm on a rush? It just happens so sudden."Damn. These questions are popping inside her head again.

"Oi Tsukuyo… If you want to hold my arms or rest on my shoulder, just do it. Kagura does it so many times every time we stroll around or just resting on the park. Sometimes she fell asleep while resting her head on my shoulder. If that way it comforts you" He mumbled.

"Huh? Even Shinpachi? Or Katsura? Or Hasegawa." She asked that gave Gintoki the creeps that his hair on the neck raised as he tries to imagine it.

"Hell no! Men have different ways in expressing feelings and our bonding too is different from women!" He quickly denied. She chuckled from the way he denied it.

A minute later, they arrived at the park and headed straight to the bench under the shade on the tree. They sit together at the same time and looked above the clouds blocking moon. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to feel his broad shoulder.

"The night is surely beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered.

"…As long as the moon shines it's light." She connected.

Gintoki felt better even though the cold wind touches his skin because the warmness they share to each other. He wished to let feeling last longer. He wanted to say that he feels good with this but it may be a little embarrassing to say such things which are not even in his character.

"Uhmm… Gintoki…" She mumbled as she looked down, trying to hide something. But here goes nothing.

"Hmm? What is it?" He gives a quick glance at her.

"Uhmm… …" She gulped and clenched her kimono on her lap "Am… am… I beautiful?"

Thunder roared inside his head as give a shocked expression.

What's up with her? Saying things all of a sudden? Geez, where did she have this kind of a topic to talk to? Maybe I said something awful. No, if I did she might have been left me before we met. He tried to convince himself to keep calm. Don't do anything stupid, just answer the question.

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "What are you saying? Asking things all of a sudden… Of course you are."

Those words echoed through her ears like it was something big.

"What makes you think you're not beautiful? Stop thinking so negatively." He took a quick glance at her but she doesn't even react like those words didn't help her to cheer up.

"…I might like you someday…"

Still she didn't move a single muscle. He looked to at her face and he just smiled a bit after he noticed it.

"Goodnight, Tsukuyo." He whispered as her head softly landed on his shoulder.

AUTHOR: I finally finished the chapter two.

GINTOKI: Now, does it really end here?

AUTHOR: I dunno. I'm still planning to add something like… another misadventure and action in the future update.

GINTOKI: Just don't write something that is beyond my character.

GLASSES: What the hell is this! I appeared only once and my line is only one! And my appearance is really unnecessary!

AUTHOR: Because it's a gintoki and Tsukuyo fanfic… not useless glasses fanfic.

USELESS GLASSES: The name's shinpachi not glasses!

GINTOKI: Calm down Pattsuan. We all know that you're composed of what it is again… 97% glasses

2% garbage .8% human body .1% crap and .1% soul.

USELESS STUPID GLASSES: What kind of composition is that! And why Is USELESS STUPID GLASSES is my name.

AUTHOR: Don't worry, everyone can recognize that it is referring you… Anyways thanks for reading and I thank the readers who gave their reviews. REALLY APPRECIATE IT.