GINTOKI: So, you decided to add a chapter.
AUTHOR: Yup. Like you said, it's too short… I'm still thinking of something for upcoming updates.
GINTOKI: But can you write something like… (Paused)… You know… 'This and that' in this fanfic.
TSUKUYO: (Just came suddenly from nowhere) what 'this and that' is it?
GINTOKI AND AUTHOR: T-tsukuyo…
AUTHOR: What are you doing here?
TSUKUYO: Nothing, I just heard Shinpachi was depressed because he didn't appear in someone's fanfic titled 'Kunai and Samurai' so I decided to check it out. He said it's updating for its fourth chapter.
GINTOKI AND AUTHOR: (SHOCKED AND NERVOUS FOR THEIR LIVES)
GINTOKI: N-n-n-no! You don't need to. I'm sure he'll appear in the upcoming chapters.
AUTHOR: But Gintoki, this chapter will be focused on Ts… (Gintoki covered author's mouth)
GINTOKI: Just do something about it
TSUKUYO: You two looked like you're hiding something… But I'm still reading it (Pressed enter on keyboard.)
AUTHOR: Anyways thanks for continuously reading this fanfic. I just read KURASUCHI's 3rd chapter's comment and asked me to continue it. So, here it is… (Quickly ran away…)
CHAPTER IV
"You're beautiful… " He whispered as he placed his thumb under her chin and looked at her.
"Thank you." She answered softly with her cheeks blushing continuously while looking at this man.
Everything is slow and calm with the moon shining brightly behind the thin clouds slowly passing by with the wind.
"Tsukuyo…" There was a longish pause.
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"I FOUND A CLUSTER OF REDSTONE ORE IN THE DUNGEON!" He shouted suddenly as the whole place starts to get blurry and obscured until there a total darkness around her place. Then, a dazzling light dazzled her from above and there was nothing except, it's all white.
(10:45 am)
As the dazzling light of the sun penetrating the windows reached her face, she slowly opened her eyes from long sleep. Everything is blurry for a second until she can finally recognize the white ceiling above her. She stared at it for a while until her memory recalls what happened yesterday. She quickly raised her back and removed her blanket on her legs. Her kunai –shaped hairpin is not on her head making her hair hang freely. She looked around the unfamiliar room she's been sleeping for a while until he saw Seita looking at her with a forced smile while scratching his head. He was sitting in front of the computer in the corner, playing Minecraft.
"S-seita…" that was the first word came out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry, I woke you up. I'm just excited in this game." He apologized.
"Seita dear, I told not to make too much noise." Her mother called out from the outside as they heard her approaching by hearing her ascending voice. Her silhouette appeared behind before she slide opened the door.
"Seita dear, I told you to keep it down…" She scolded him but not in a angry manner
"Don't shout somethi…" Her voice died out, seeing Tsukuyo already up and glaring at them.
"Good morning Tsukky!" She greeted with a beautiful smile. "Have you slept well?" She asked.
"Uh-yeah… And thank you for letting…"
"…It's nothing. You're free to stay here anytime" She answered, even though Tsukuyo's not finished talking. There was a pause for a second. Her body is still heavy and so her eyes. Tsukuyo suddenly remembered of asking her something important.
"Uhmm… Hinowa." She called nervously. "How did get here anyway? I don't remember getting here in the first place." She asked. "He brought you here while you were asleep." Hinowa answered. Meanwhile Seita went back playing Minecraft, ignoring the conversation between the two because he has his own world to build.
"Him?" She tried to recall it again. Don't tell me… Gintoki! Did Gintoki just bring me here? How? Her starts beating fast again.
"Where is he?" She asked, curiously looking at her in the eyes. Hinowa turned his back and breathe deeply. "He left early and oh… He left you're smoking pipe you dropped while you were sleeping at the park on the top of my drawer."
She took a glance at the drawer beside her and it was there. Not new or something changed on it. "And Tsukky..." She called her attention. "He said that you move a lot when sleeping." She chuckled that made Tsukuyo blushed. Her eyes were unable to look at Hinowa, feeling a little guilt and embarrassed about what she just said.
"And also…" She paused for a moment and smiled at her. "He said that you're cute when you're sleeping."
Upon hearing that, her eyes widens followed by a small gasp from her lips. She doesn't know if she's gonna smile or react violently.
She was surprised by that as her heart beats irregularly. But she felt good in hearing those words but her face reddens. "Please stop joking around." She insisted, trying to hide her joy from it.
Hinowa's giggle stopped and said "It's up to you if wanna believe or not." And followed by a smirk.
"…S-so, I'll be going now…" She went off the bed and stretched out her arms up.
"Oh wait Tsukky… The food is about to get ready, why don't you have a lunch here." She insisted.
"But I got work to…" She reasoned out but Hinowa quickly answered suddenly. "The Hyakka women said earlier that I should give you a day-off." Hinowa interrupted. "What?" Tsukuyo shouted. "You're kidding. You gotta be." She said softly by then. But she didn't answer.
"Well, they insist me to give you a break." Said Hinowa. There was nothing to talk about so Hinowa left the room but before she closed the door she wants say something not very important. "Wash your face in the bathroom and get ready."
(1:00pm an hour after lunch)
Hinowa is in the living room, watching the dry leaves fall down with the cool breeze entering the big open window. Her face tells that she's refreshing some of the good memories. The day seems to be wonderful especially when she remembers that good scene this morning. But she didn't go to the living room to daydream. She's been waiting for her.
"I'm here." She said monotonously, like she's not interested about it. She slid the door open, revealing the refreshed Tsukuyo who just took a shower. Her hair is still a little bit wet, but her hairpin is already on it with her normal attire.
"Tsukky, you came. Please come in." She greeted, gesturing her to come in. She walked in and sat on the window sill and puffed out a smoke from her lungs. She gazes outside, watching the beautiful withering trees as she waits for Hinowa to open a conversation.
"Tsukky… I already know that you're trying you're best to catch and stop the faction wandering not just around Yoshiwara, but also the other towns around." She said in serious tone.
She was straight to the point of this meet. She doesn't want to talk about something non-sense.
Tsukuyo turned her eyes on her and looked at her with a surprised look on her eyes. "You already know?"
She paused for a moment and turned her look upon something else, trying to avoid eye contact."The Hyakka women told me." Her worries are starting to show in her face. "They're worried about you… I'm also worried about you."
The aura is getting heavy is getting heavy. Tsukuyo wants to shrug it off but Hinowa is too serious about it. Now that her secret mission has been revealed, there's no point of lying on it especially that the Hyakka found out about it. She let out another smoke and looked the trees but her attention was not on the trees, but on Hinowa's next words.
Hinowa knew that she's not going to say something so she spoke out again."It's dangerous to handle it yourself. You always have someone to ask for help."
That phrase reminded her of what Gintoki said last night, a phrase that she will never forget. But she's afraid of losing someone even a member of Hyakka or an ordinary woman of Yoshiwara. She looked at her and looked if she was really talking serious.
"I know…" She connected. "Don't do it alone. I know that feeling you're having right now. A person dies for your sake is painful. It'll be a heavy burden… But you should remind yourself…" She was getting emotional but somehow she tries not to burst out her feelings. "…that when you die… a lot of people will carry a heavy burden and guilt to themselves."
"H-hinowa." It was the only word that came out from her mouth. She can't think of a word to say.
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.
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"That's why I asked Gintoki about it." Her depressed mood suddenly switched into happy person as she looked at her with a silly smile. Like a light switch that suddenly turned dark into light.
"*cough*" She almost got choke from all of that sudden change of the mood. She tried to catch her breath for a moment before she could say a word."G-gintoki! I think you mean the Yoruzuya!" she protested. She didn't notice that her cheeks start to blush again.
"I didn't say Yoruzuya. I said Gintoki." She chuckled.
The surprised Tsukuyo stood and came closer to her. "But he's an idiot. An idiot can't be alone. An idiot needs a bunch of idiots with him." She shouted.
"Why are you so worried about it?" She asked with silly smile stuck on her face.
She was afraid to answer that she's embarrassed about it.
"Shinpachi and Kagura are currently taking another client so they can't come plus, it's too dangerous for them… But Gintoki said that he has someone to back him up."
Suddenly someone called out from the door and seconds later, the door opened.
"Uhmm… Excuse me. Here are some you tea requested me to bring in." Seita placed it on the table carefully.
"Thank you Seita dear." Hinowa said. Seita left after smiling back to her mom.
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"Here, have some tea."
"Sure." They both sat on the floor in front of the table facing each other.
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(Tea Break)
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"Anyways…" Tsukuyo broke the silent aura between the two calmly. "Why the hell did you ask for him! We have the police to help investigate!" She shouted as she stands, making the birds flew away from the roof of the house because of the noise.
Hinowa smiled back after taking a sip. "Why? Did something happen between you two last night?" Hinowa thought that asking that kind of question will probably shut her up.
"Huh? Uhmm… It's not really… How should I put this…?" She sat again and looked down, pressing the tips of her index fingers together back and forth. Feeling guilty and shy about what really happened.
"I asked him once but I didn't force him." Hinowa said. "He said that he wants to pay you for going out with him last night." She connected.
"But…" Tsukuyo took a sip "… I didn't ask him to return a favor."
"But you're the one who should return a favor." Hinowa said.
"Me? But why?" She asked curiously.
She then pulled out her cellphone in her pocket and showed to her face her wallpaper of Tsukuyo kissing Gintoki on the cheek unconsciously. Tsukuyo grabbed it with her shaking hands and stared on it closely.
"Eh…"
"Eeehh…"
"Eeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh!" She shrieked.
"You stole a kiss from his cheek." Hinowa chuckled. "…and we all know that stealing is bad."
Tsukuyo smashed the cellphone on the ground and stomp on it many times. She catches her breathe deeply after she saw that picture.
"What the hell was that picture… It's edited… It's edited from Photoshop" She mumbled after being horrified with the picture.
"No we don't have Adobe Photoshop in our PC." She said. "*Sigh* I knew this would happen. Good thing I have a backup on our pc of that picture." She connected so proudly.
"When did it…? How did that happened." She begged for an answered but all Hinowa has to say is "Se-cr-et…"
"I forgot to say that he will come here tonight." Hinowa Said. She tried to change the topic away from that picture.
"Huh? Really? "
"And I must give this to you." She reached out something under the sleeve of her kimono.
"Here." She reached out. She mistakenly took out the pills.
"What the hell are you trying to imply with those pills?" Asked Tsukuyo angrily as her eye twitched.
"Oops! Sorry I mistook of it." She chuckled as she started to reach something again under her sleeves.
"Here." She reached out. She again mistakenly took a small thin coil wrapper with shape of a ring in the middle.
"Now really. What the hell are you trying to suggest?" She asked even more upset.
"Oops! I'm sorry." She reached out something again. She really means to make those mistakes anyway.
"Here." This time, it was an eat-all-you-can couple's ticket from a newbie cakes& ice cream store.
"What is this for?" Asked Tsukuyo as she holds the ticket.
"Just a token for him and you."
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"Well, I must leave now." Said Tsukuyo as she exits the room with the ticket in her pocket.
"Wait Tsukky." She called out. "Take a bath, an hour before you meet Gintoki."
"Enough of it already!"
END
AUTHOR: I know. You found this chapter a little boring. But I'm excited for the next chapter for their next meet. Sorry about it.
GINTOKI: *Yawns* Yeah, your right. It is because I didn't appear in this chapter.
AUTHOR: Anyways, thanks for reading it. Please leave a comment if you want to.
SHRIMPACHI: What the hell! I'm still not in this chapter! And you misspelled my name.
KAGURA: It's okay Pachi. It's Gin x Tsukky fanfic. Your existence here is not important.
AUTHOR: Anyway, I'll update as soon as possible. No more boring chapters. Promise.