Notes:
Hello~~ Welcome again just dropping by to wish you a good 'half-month'. Drink lots of water and enjoy your reading!
Curiosity aside: The title of each chapter is inspired by a verse from the song.
'Yaaawn ~ Start of a new year! New phase, new goals and new girlfriends so Gin-chan doesn't end up single again!'- The Redhead was greeted with a slap on the back of the head.
"Wretch, what are you talking about?!"
"Well, well Gin-chan, you're already in your 30's and you still can't find a girlfriend! Hihihi" - he mocked, to the point of making him mad.
"ARE YOU BY ANY CHANCE MY AUNT OR WHAT?!"
"I'm certainly not." - She smiled leaning on his shoulders and pulling him into a corner to whisper something. - "You should give Tsuki a chance, or else you'll die alone."
"Who cares about that drunk exterminator?!" - He was knocked out with a kunai thrown at the back of his head.
"WHO IS EXTERMINATOR DRUNK?!" - The blonde had come out of the samurai's room.
"Aah Tsuki, good morning!"
"Good morning, Kagura-chan." - The Kunoichi removed the kunai, making him gush a little blood. - "Good morning, disheveled."
"Hey! You don't know how hard it is to comb out that natural perm!" - She stepped over him.
"Hey, stop complaining or I'll make your hair look just like Kuririn's!" - She said in a threatening tone, leaving him silent.
"Tsuki, did you sleep well tonight?"
"Yes. The futon didn't have one of the best smells, but I resisted."
"Hey! That was my futon!" - He whined.
- A slight flashback to the night before -
When the rain of fireworks was over, they realized that they were holding hands and consequently let go, avoiding any kind of eye contact, slightly blushing. It was as if it hadn't happened, not that they both wanted to forget, on the contrary, they wanted to, but were ashamed to admit it to themselves.
Kagura began to yawn as small tears came out of her face, giving signs that she was sleepy, since she had expended so much energy in the park. They go back into the apartment, where Gintoki realized that his other futon was too moldy to use. So like a 'first class knight', he gave her his futon to sleep on and blacked out on the couch. It was a shame that his chivalry resulted in a huge pain in his back in conjunction with his shoulders and neck, something as if he had broken it into several pieces and glued them together.
- Back to the Present -
After a good workout to get his back in place, Gintoki performed his morning routine, which consists of: complaining of having slept badly, brushing his teeth and washing his face, complaining about missing work, combing his hair, complaining about the rent arrears, and finally putting on his casual clothes to finally prepare breakfast for Kagura.
Today he was inspired to do something different than usual, because according to him, it was the first breakfast of the year and so he wanted to do something special (actually he wanted to impress the blonde kunoichi for enjoying hearing her compliments).
This 'special' breakfast consisted of steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, tamagoyaki and green tea. Kagura slightly felt jealous, as he had never made such a meal for her, not even on her birthday, noting that there was something more to it than just a first meal of the year. 'What if...' - She wondered. - 'Nah, it's not possible... Or is it?' - She began to get suspicious as she watched the two of them talking.
"I thank you for the breakfast, however I will have to return to Yoshiwara."
"But already Tsuki? So soon..." - The Chinese Girl said in a melancholy tone.
"Yes, I told Hinowa I'd be back soon."
"Aah..." - She emitted a sad face.
"Don't worry about the schedule, have your breakfast and I'll take you there." - The albino Samurai pronounced sitting on the couch waving the keys of the scooter to get his attention.
"No need, it's serious."
"Stop for free!"
"Humph... Idiot!" - She quickly ate breakfast and then returned to Yoshiwara.
They went down the stairs and towards the scooter. Gintoki took the helmet and put it on her head, catching her off guard. It was strange to the blonde, because no man had ever come so close to her face and now, she could feel his hands going around her face and lifting her chin, and then squeezing her helmet. Her malicious mind made her think that he had ulterior motives, especially when he came closer and closer, and her heart rate accelerated, making her blush.
"Done!" - This was totally unromantic, making her wake up from her sweet dream and see his relaxed eyes and carefree face. This infuriated her, causing her to pull out a kunai. - "AGHHHHHH MY EYES!" - He squirmed on the ground with his hands on his eyes. - "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"Idiot."
"Tsc... You women are weird." - Theyboth got on the scooter and set off on their journey to Yoshiwara. It was one of the few times they were alone, a feeling so strange that they both didn't know how to start the subject and when someone said something the answers came in two words and it ended there. She hugged him tightly and discreetly put her face against his back, he noticed, but didn't care.
As soon as they got there, they were greeted by Hinowa, who was getting some fresh air while watching Seita play. Of course, when she saw them, she would not miss the opportunity to tease them for being together. As much as it was an intimate joke, Tsukuyo felt embarrassed.
"Hi Gin-san, how nice to see you here! Happy new year!"
"Hello, happy new year!"
"Please come in. I've just brewed some tea." - Without a second thought, they both agreed and went inside.
"So, you mean you spent New Year's Eve at Yorozuya, Tsukuyo?"
"A-Ah, yes." - She fumbled to say.
"And who was there with you?"
"Only Kagura." - Said the silver samurai.
"You guys could have passed with us."
"Don't worry, it's been a while since I picked a day to do something different in the kitchen, it was a good opportunity." - He laughed.
"Do you cook, Gin-san?" - Said the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy entering the room.
"And very well by the way!" - The kunoichi would place the glass under the table.
"I just cook some simple things." - He gave a low laugh while scratching the back of his neck.
"I would love to try your food one day." - The black-haired woman said.
"Who knows one day..." - he smiled.
After a long chat, Gintoki left the place with plans to return home, but was interrupted when he heard Tsukuyo voice calling him.
"Gintoki! Wait."
"Say it."
"I have a request for Yorozuya."
"Pro Yorozuya?! And what would that be?"
"The 8th is Hinowa's birthday, you could make the cake for her birthday, what do you think?"
"I don't see any problem."
"Glad to hear it." - He gave a relieved look.
"And what time will you be showing up at the house?"
"What?! What do you mean?" - The blonde stared at him in surprise.
"You said you were going to be my official food taster, remember?" - He laughed.
"Oh, that's right. I admit I slightly forgot."
"So... is that a 'see you on the 8th'?"
"If you...if you want, we can go out together again...just like yesterday."
"A date?" - She was innocent when she said that, she didn't imagine it would sound like a 'date' really. He just stared at her with a doubtful face.
"NO!" - She shouted. - "I mean yes..., but nothing too formal you know... could we take a walk...together?"
"H-hum, right. How about tomorrow?"
"I'll be kind of busy tomorrow, how about late afternoon?"
"That's fine, we won't have any service for tomorrow anyway." - He gave a dull smile.
"Then it's settled, I'll see you in front of the Yoshiwara gate at 16hrs." - She smiled.
Without further ado, he climbed onto his scooter and returned to the house. He was already planning the places he wanted to show her, like a lake in a quiet place to spend the late afternoon with a beautiful view of the sunset. He arrived home, parked his scooter, went up the stairs, and listened to the two children arguing about the winning breakfast.
"I'm telling you Patsuan, Gin-chan really made that feast for Tsuki."
"It's impossible Kagura-chan. Gin-san wouldn't-"-His speech was interrupted when he saw the albino standing behind Kagura.
"You had to see it at the time of the fireworks, they even stayed-"- A noise of someone clearing their throat could be heard behind her, causing her to slowly turn her head. - "Ah, What a hell." - She could feel a negative energy coming off the samurai. He was not the least bit happy to know that she was talking, I mean gossiping, during his absence.
"Is there a problem, Kagura-chan?" - He said in a wry tone.
"Ah Gin-chan, I didn't know you had already arrived-aru!" - He let out a fake laugh. - "No problem."
"Oh good. By the way, on the 8th we will have a service."
"A service?" - The bespectacled boy questioned.
"Yes."
"And what would that be?"
"Prepare a cake." - The two stared at him with questioning faces. Of several services they had already performed, this was the first one they would act as first-time confectioners.
"A cake? Who would order something like that?"
"Tsukuyo."
"Eh?"
"I said Patsuan." - The Chinese woman whispered from her side.
"It's just an ordinary request like any other, she just wants to throw a party for Hinowa. It's no big deal."
"You're right." - The boy agreed. - "But why would she choose us to bake a cake?"
"Isn't it obvious, Patsuan? It's because Gin-chan won her over by her stomach."
"Hey, what are you saying?!" - He slapped her again on the back of her head, of course the Chinese girl was not going to let it go cheap and returned it with a punch to her face.
"You guys should stop fighting." - Shinpachi snorted.
The rest of their day was nothing much. Other than spending several hours idly, they just went out to take Sadaharu for a walk and returned home quickly, where they ate the leftovers from the prized breakfast. Tsukuyo, on the other hand, spent the rest of the day patrolling with Hyakka in search of petty thieves who were making noise in Yoshiwara. He arrived home in the late afternoon and took a bath to relax. Her anxiety was pounding in her mind, making her feel suffocated for tomorrow. Even though it was a simple walk in any park, that was enough to content her.
-X-
After a long night and a long half-day, they finally met at the appointed place. Neither of them was wearing the different casual attire, but Tsukuyo wore one of his few perfumes with an eye-catching scent. The scent consisted of sweet aroma with a hint of rose scent, this discreetly attracted him.
The two began walking towards the surface, where Gintoki guided her as if he were her own private tour guide, showing her places where she had no knowledge, especially to the park. They sat down on a small hill near a river, where he guaranteed a beautiful view of the sunset, together with a small breeze that made both their hair sway as the wind allowed.
"It's a pretty nice place."
"Yes... I really wanted to bring you here."
"Is it serious?" - She laughed. - "You hit the nail on the head!"
"Glad to hear it."
"You know... It's been a while since I took a few minutes to watch the sunset, it must be because I've hardly left Yoshiwara lately..."
"You should get out more."
"You're right. Again, thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome." - He smiled. A short pause was given between them as they watched the orange-red sky next to the pink clouds until Gintoki cut the silence. "Do you like ramen?"
"I like it."
"I'll introduce you to a place that makes the best ramen I know."
"I'd love to."
Gintoki took her to Hokuto Shinken, Ikumatsu's store. She always welcomed him and of course her treatment of Tsukuyo would be no different.
"Why Gin-san, it's been a long time!"
"Yeah, I finally got my hands on some money."
"What about you? Are you Gin-san's girlfriend?"
"I'm just a friend." - Tsukuyo said in a shy way.
"Oh yes, and what is your name?"
"Tsukuyo."
"It's an honor to meet you."
"I say the same."
" I would like two ramen, please." - The silver samurai said as he sat down next to Tsukuyo.
"Coming right up!"
"So, have you been a customer for a long time?" - The Blonde questioned.
"You could say that, I've been coming here for a few years now."
"By the looks of it, it must be really good." - She laughed.
"It is!" - He laughed back. - "So... do you have any places you want to go?"
" None."
"I would invite you to go to some bar, but the last time you drank you almost killed me." - He propped his hand on his face.
"That way I get sad." - She ironized.
They were served the ramens, Tsukuyo was surprised at how tasty they were and especially that they were much cheaper than the ones she knew. Gintoki paid for the meal and they left towards Yoshiwara, chatting for a long time while watching the crowded bars of Kabukicho lit by red lights.
-X-
It didn't take long to get to Tsukuyo house, although the walk was long, they didn't mind so much as they were so distracted that they didn't see time passing. When they got there were no acquaintances on the street much less in the house, a complete silence. Tsukuyo invited him in, offering him a few drinks before he returned to his house.
He didn't refuse. The look on the blonde's face was enough to convince him to enter the house. As soon as she opened the bedroom door and turned on the lamp, he noticed a dresser with some bottles of sake and two glasses.
"Make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you."
"I wanted to thank you for tonight." - She let her hair down, placing the hairpins on the dresser next to the bottle. That caught her attention. - "Somehow..."
"Somehow?"
"Yes."
"How, will you give me a romantic evening?" - He ironized.
"I don't see a problem with that."
"Eh?"
"Gintoki... Look at me." - She moved closer to him as her eyes were watched by his.
The dialogue ended there. She pulled his face closer, allowing his lips to brush against hers and initiating a kiss, sliding her hands towards the collar of his shirt while his hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer still. The atmosphere became warmer. The dim lighting brought a cozy sensation, along with the warmth both bodies emitted and the scent of the perfume Tsukuyo wore.
"I want something more." - The kunoichi said breathlessly as the albino's forehead rested on hers.
O
o
Final Notes:
Hey, thanks for reading this far o/ I wanted to say that this chapter was a little hard to imagine, since my creativity didn't allow me to think very well. It got a little long, but I promise the next one will be a little shorter to make up for it (I suffer for liking to write longer fics xD)
I also wanted to leave open the number of chapters, which by my calculations will be more or less 7 (this figure may change in the end), let's see how far it goes.
Anyway, that's it! Hydrate please.