The night life above Yoshiwara was like a whole other world in itself. The family thought that their home city was a lively one, but their venture into the world above them threw their impressions out of the window. Edo's city centre alone completely dwarfed Yoshiwara with its high rise buildings and skyscrapers, and the technology that was showcased through bright, flashing neon signs and revolutionary transportation like cars was indicative of how modernised the city was, compared to Yoshiwara's traditional, some may dare say antiquated roots. Unsurprisingly Seita was captivated by the tech and scale of the buildings ("This is so cool!"),but Gintoki knew deep down that it stung a little bit. Despite the benefits from a changing society such as this, it ultimately came from a war, one that he took part in and lost almost everything in the process. There wasn't much he could do beyond that putting up a face of indifference.
Travelling through the city streets opened the doors to seeing and experiencing a multitude of different people and businesses. Some businesses were the male equivalent of hostess clubs, restaurants, bars and cinema while yakuza and other interesting people roamed the streets, making Edo an excellent place to set up shop. In a way, the grandeur of it and the presence of a few odd balls was similar to that of Yoshiwara, but on a grander scale. It was big, grandiose, exciting and lively, if a little bit dirty and murky too with its unusual inhabitants.
Once they finally arrived at their destination, the lighting became much more familiar, stalls were packed with kids and adults just looking to have fun and enjoy themselves. Stalls that were filled with fun minigames, food vendors and the occasional fortune teller. Gintoki couldn't quite comprehend how they could relax in the heat. Even at nightfall the temperature didn't exactly let up. Pure sunlight was replaced by humidity, and there was no electric fan to cool off with, unless he wanted to fan himself with one made of paper, but he had no energy for that. Or better still, take off his yukata and show his muscles to everyone.
The family's eyes wondered in different directions. Hinowa and Seita were fixed at the different variety of stalls and the like whilst the other two were similarly looking at what was on offer, but for different reasons. Whenever one would look away, the other would give a quick glance. If their eyes met, they would simply divert away like nothing happened and do their best not to show any signs of it whatsoever. To add to that, whenever their hands inadvertently brushed against one another, it would make them slightly jolt in surprise, making it even harder not to show an ounce of emotion on their faces. Of course, this all happened under Hinowa's watchful eye, so it was easier said than done.
The raven haired courtesan took a quick glance towards her blonde haired friend. "Are you two tired at all?"
"N-no, course not. I'm just worried about leaving Yoshiwara, even for a bit." Tsukuyo replied with a worried look. Hinowa furrowed her brows slightly, not entirely convinced of her reasoning.
"Eh? You're worried about the Hyakka not being able to babysit in your absence?" Gintoki smirked. "Hah, you don't think they're not capable of looking after Yoshiwara-"
A quick, sharp elbow to his sides and a scowl silenced him before he could put another word in. "Stop being an asshole."
"Awww come onnn. You spend every waking minute worrying over something. You should have more faith in your comrades. They'll be fine. I doubt they'll get ambushed." Gintoki drawled, still nursing his bruised side.
Tsukuyo scowled at him a bit more, slightly irked by his relaxed attitude towards the matter at hand. "I hate you sometimes. Ya never take things seriously..."
"Yeah, well there are some things that aren't worth fussing over." Gintoki casually replied, resting his hands behind his neck. "Calm down and stop worrying your head about it."
A puff of smoke drifted out of her mouth. "What are ya talking about? There's always something ta worry about."
"And the more you worry the quicker your hair will fall out, and you'll turn into a cueball. And no one wants that." He smirked, rewarding him with another, much sharper elbow to his gut. "Fuck, this is why guys don't like talking to you..."
"And yet you're talking and arguing with each other like you're married." Hinowa cheekily cut in, taking the pair off guard.
"We're here by circumstance! That's different!" Tsukuyo exclaimed, very much in denial of her interactions with Gintoki. Hinowa's raised eyebrows made it clear as day that she wasn't buying her answer.
"Circumstance? You mean fate?" She teased.
"It's not fate! Why do you always think we like each other?!" They both cried out, trying not to show their embarrassment in front of her or each other, which only made their supposed matchmaker friend chuckle a good bit.
"I never said that, but your little private time tells me otherwise." She replied in a sing song tone, irritating the two even more.
"Mom, can't you just leave em alone? You know they don't like that by now..." Seita contemplated.
"Kid's right. He's more of a grown up than you are." Gintoki agreed, relieved that someone was willing to stand up for them.
"I have a name, it's Seita you virgin." He crassly hit back. Normally he wouldn't be so pressed about an insult as lowly as that, but it made him feel very uncomfortable on this occasion, even worse when he caught Hinowa chuckling to herself at the remark.
"I'm sorry about that. Perhaps it's best we should leave them alone hm?" Hinowa proposed to the surprise of everyone.
"Wha-! I'm not that upset about it!" Gintoki cried. The courtesan merely shook her head. "No no, it's my fault. It would be best if we leave the both of you alone for a bit. Let's go Seita."
In no time at all, parent and child went on their way, though the latter was thoroughly confused as to why they were leaving Tsukuyo behind. But knowing his adoptive mother's antics concerning the two, he had a solid idea as to why.
"Wait, come back!" They shouted in vain as they lost sight of them in the shifting crowd of people.
Gintoki could do nothing but let out an exasperated sigh and palm his forehead. "I hate these crowds. Always happens in the movies, one minute you see your friend, the next minute they freaking disappear. Why does it happen now?"
"We should catch up with em." Tsukuyo suggested.
"No chance. They'll be too far away. Besides, it's what she planned, the sly fox. I'm sure you know that by now." He grumbled.
"I-I'm sure she's not gonna come back to spy on us..." She said.
Gintoki snorted at this idea. Considering Hinowa's antics as of late, it would absolutely be within her character to return and spy on their activities. "I'm gonna bet 300 yen on that. If I win, you're buying me sweets."
"Yeah? Ya lose, then ya tell me what it is ya bought from that jewellery shop, and who it's for." Tsukuyo scoffed, thoroughly amused by the absurd penalty. Gintoki however was not so excited. His impulsive and frankly stupid decision to bet was already biting him in the arse. He didn't even realise until now that he didn't have the money to pay for the bet.
"Fuck's sake..." He cursed under his breath. "Fine."
"Hah. Play stupid games, ya gonna get stupid prizes." She smirked.
"Let's just go...you don't even know the result yet." He said despondently.
Their walk around the festival was for the most part, relatively inconsequential. Besides eying up a couple of minigame and food stalls that sold sweets (the latter of which made Gintoki into a giddy child to the point Tsukuyo had to pull him away), there was nothing worth of note.
"It's one thing to have hot weather, it's another to have hot weather on a boring ass day." Gintoki lamented. He sorely wanted to take off his yukata and stride around with his chest out. At least he would be more comfortable that way, even if it would earn him a few ogling eyes and a slap on the back from Tsukuyo.
"It's only boring because ya don't have the money to buy anything around here." She pointed out.
"Pfft. Please, I have enough for something around here." He confidently said.
"Ya lying through ya teeth. Ya can't even fund our bet, let alone buy anything here." She retorted.
"Then I'll win something instead, how's that?" He proposed, brushing off her admittedly true statement.
"A loser like you? As if. I can kick ya ass anytime." She said, confidently folding her arms.
Gintoki moved closer, not caring that he was getting closer to Tsukuyo as he didn't want to back down. "You're pushing your luck when it comes to competing with me lady. I'll make damn sure you lose that-"
"OTAE-SANNN-ACK! IT'S ME!"
"You bastard! Stop following my sister around!!"
The pair halted their argument when a ruckus of sorts coming from one of the nearby stalls caused people in and around the stalls to stop their business, watching from afar. It didn't take much for the two to move closer and investigate.
Gintoki had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing the right thing. A young spectacled teen in a blue martial arts uniform and hakama and a young woman wearing a pink kimono supposedly bashing a man of Gintoki's age with a hammer on what looked like a 'whack a mole' stall. The man's head was stuck in one of the holes. Except it was a more violent variation of 'whack a mole' as they continued crushing his skull. The premises of it looked eerily similar.
"Oh...it's that kid and that lady." He softly pointed out, taken aback slightly by their presence as he continued observing their beating.
"Ya know em?" Tsukuyo asked in surprise.
"I know the glasses kid. Works at the department store where I bought my clothes. I could hear him and another lady kicking the crap out of this dude before they chucked him out. Some guy shouting and raving about 'Otae-san' or whatever. I'm guessing he's after his sister." He explained. He had to scratch his head slightly at the lady's physical fest in pummelling their apparent stalker, not able to quite comprehend that 'Otae-san' was also in the shop and happened to be Shimura's older sister. They looked nothing alike aside from their brown hair. The only thing that could link them together as siblings was their seemingly shared hatred of this man.
The prolonged beat down lasted for a little while longer before two men in black uniforms showed up at the scene and pulled the siblings away, one of them leaving a trail of smoke from his cigarette muttering something about how they couldn't be wasting time chasing their boss around with silly antics while the other remained completely stone faced like it was a daily occurrence.
"Kondo-san. We've been over this. Get out of the table." Said the man with the cigarette. His voice was distinctly husky as if he was a chain smoker, and his black hair had distinct v shape bangs in the middle. "You're not off duty yet. We still need to find the Shogun. He's wondered off somewhere..."
"Hijikata-san. Why not just let him walk on for a bit. I'm sure we have others protecting him, or even the Oniwabanshu. We could wonder off somewhere instead..." His subordinate said in a rather sinister tone. He looked much younger than Hijikata, almost with a boyish face and sandy hair.
"Why would we do tha-oi, you're planning on killing me aren't you Sougo?! He said.
"I never said anything about killing you. I was just saying we should just have a walk around. You're overly paranoid today Hijikata-san." Sougo drawled.
"And you are an overly annoying asswipe...whatever. Let's just get Kondo-san out and keep looking for the Shogun. Can't have him do anything stupid." Hijikata sighed.
It took the pair little effort to drag the unconscious Kondo out of the hole and away from the stall. The crowds parted to open a path for the trio as they slinked away, with Kondo deliriously muttering Otae's name in frequent intervals. Hijikata couldn't do much beyond rolling his eyes at his superior's antics as well as the people blankly staring at the trio. "Stop staring at us and get back to your business! There's nothing to see here!"
Murmurings amongst the people cropped up as they quickly fell in line back to their usual activities, and the trio eventually slipped out of sight. Shimura and Otae were also nowhere to be found, which Gintoki theorised that they probably slipped off to file a restraining order against Kondo of some sort.
"The police sure are weird around here. And they're idiots. What a great combination." Gintoki remarked, scratching his head at the unexpected events. At least there was something worth talking about once the festival had finished.
He gave a quick glance to Tsukuyo, who was similarly puzzled at the events that unfolded, and was also rather unimpressed at the handling of it all. "If it were me I'd kill em on the spot."
"Uh, you ever heard of fair trials?" Gintoki said, unamused by her absurd suggestion.
"He harassed a woman, and I'm guessing he's been doing it for some time." She plainly stated.
"But that doesn't warrant instant death. You're on the surface, not Yoshiwara." He said, not sure where her logic was coming from.
"Where I'm from though, It's how Yoshiwara is kept safe. You have to be harsh to get the message across. Besides ya should know that by now." She explained.
Gintoki didn't say another word, merely rubbing his hand on his neck as he mulled over her words. Given his first hand experience of working with the Hyakka, she did have a point, but at the same time it wasn't something he wasn't entirely comfortable with.
"Let's just find something else that'll make us laugh or something..."
"Goddamn it, how the hell did ya get that much goldfish?!"
"I have my ways lady. If you wanna know, I can teach it to you for a price."
"Asshole. Always need money one way or another..."
Tsukuyo had been thoroughly dominated in the goldfish scooping game. After just one round. One round and Gintoki had rounded up all but five gold fishes within a matter of seconds. Despite her massive loss, she didn't feel particularly upset at his lack of mercy. She felt rather happy instead, she was having fun with him for once. She felt happy that they were enjoying themselves on a night out, just the two of them. And seeing his face look a little brighter with the faintest of smiles was enough to make her happy, and it was arguably a bigger prize than the two bags filled with goldfish that they had acquired.
"How the hell did ya get so much?" She asked again.
Gintoki put up a smug grin. "I thought I told you. Need to cough up a bit of money so I can teach you."
Tsukuyo's face changed into a pout. She wasn't sure why she asked the same question when he was going to give the same answer. Perhaps he really was money motivated.
The silver haired samurai's face softened up a little, amused by her expression. "I kid. I'm just good at catching things. Always have been since I was a kid. Neat survival skill too."
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Then again she found him slumped against her master's gravestone and was still alive on their first meeting, so perhaps there may have been a possibility.
"That's an impressive collection of goldfish there."
The pair whirled around, startled by the sudden, snaky voice. Standing behind them was a man dressed in dark clothing.
"Wha-oh...it's you. Don't scare us like that. Sheesh..." Gintoki sighed, relieved that nothing serious had occurred, though he did feel a little panicky that he couldn't sense his presence at all.
"Y-ya from the jewellery shop aren't ya? What brings ya out here?" Tsukuyo hesitantly asked, similarly shaky from the clerk's appearance.
The dark haired clerk put up a faint apologetic smile. "My apologies for startling you both, I was merely curious to see some of the things that were set up for this occasion. And as it happened, you two were scooping up goldfish." He explained.
"Huh..." Gintoki scratched his head thoughtfully. There was something about his explanation that he couldn't buy into, but at the same time he didn't want to be particularly rude to him. "I'm guessing you've never been to a summer festival before."
The clerk slowly shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I haven't actually. I never had the luxury of attending an event like this as a child, or most of my adulthood. But from what I'm seeing, it's an...enlightening experience."
"How so?" Tsukuyo asked.
"Seeing so many people enjoying themselves on a special evening such as this." He pointed up towards the clear sky, where a bright, crescent-shaped object loomed over them from afar. "And the moon is out too. Truly a fine evening."
"Yeah...it really is." They said in an unintentionally synchronised fashion.
The clerk let out a slight chuckle, seemingly pleasantly surprised by their perfect timing. "Are you sure you two are not married? Because you both seem to think on remarkably similar wavelengths."
The pair glanced at each other briefly before looking away with light flushes. "N-no, no way. Besides, we argue a lot, we don't have that much in common." Gintoki shook his head as he waved his hands dismissively.
The man smirked a tad bit out of further amusement, not entirely convinced of his answer but was willing to go along with it nonetheless. "If you say so. Though I do feel that there is something missing from the moon tonight...it doesn't feel quite whole again."
Gintoki batted an eye for a brief moment, unsure of where the conversation was heading. "Eh, I don't think so. The moon is the moon. It's beautiful no matter what shape it takes. Seeing it come out is enough to keep me happy." He politely disagreed.
Oh! One more thing." His face suddenly lit up as if he had forgotten something before leaning close to Gintoki's ear so that Tsukuyo was out of earshot. Naturally this supposedly secret conversation raised an eyebrow, heightening her curiosity once the clerk moved his head away a few seconds later.
"Well, I better get a move on. There's still some things I want to witness. And there's apparently going to be a firework display of sorts later on from what I've heard. I do hope you'll be there to see it. Enjoy your evening." The clerk said, turning his back as he waved his hand and quickly merged into the crowd.
"Alright, catch you later!" Gintoki called out, giving a single wave, which was responded to with a hand that popped up through the sea of people.
His face darkened slightly once he put his hand down and the pair began walking in the other direction. "How the hell did he sneak up behind us? That scared the shit outta me."
"Mm, if we were on duty we would probably be dead." Tsukuyo agreed. "I don't trust him. Ya sure ya got whatever it is from a legitimate business?"
"Do I look like the type of person who buys from shady people?" He replied in a half jokey, half indignant tone. "He's an oddball, but I don't think he's all that bad. That being said, it's better to keep your guard up around him."
The pair came to a stop at a low arch bridge. The water stream that hung just below wasn't particularly deep, enough for small fish to swim underneath without much trouble.
"What are you doing?" Tsukuyo softly asked as she watched Gintoki tip the bag upside down, gently releasing the goldfish into the stream.
"I don't feel like eating goldfish for dinner." He bluntly replied, taking a few steps to a nearby bin to dump the empty bag before coming back. She simply hummed in acknowledgment as they rested their arms on the wooden surface.
It was notably quieter than the crowded filled area of the stalls. Only one or two people passed the bridge at a time, so it was already a good place to stop and take a breather without having to worry about the noise. And the environment around them was populated with several small trees and other pieces of vegetation, accompanied by lanterns that provided a small light to the area.
They threw stealthy glances at each other, slowly inching closer and closer until they were millimetres away from touching. Neither of them were willing to make the first move to start a conversation out of fear of making it awkward. But they were more than willing to continue staring at one another when the other wasn't looking, which got longer and longer each time. Each stare emanated a sense of longing that neither of them could quite describe. Just keeping their eyes glued on each other put a light feeling in their chests.
"So...did ya enjoy everything so far?" Tsukuyo finally asked, breaking the long silence.
"I'm still all hot and bothered, but I guess it's not so bad with you around..." He admitted.
"Oh good, I'm glad ya actually enjoyed something here. Especially the goldfish scooping. I've never seen ya like that before." She smiled, much to his embarrassment.
"Huh?"
"Ya looked like a giddy child trying his hardest catching all that fish." She explained.
"Is that why you couldn't catch anything? You were staring at me?" He said, horrified that she had been staring at him during that time.
"W-well it's nice seeing ya having fun! That's all..." Tsukuyo replied as her voice faded away, turning her head slightly. "It's nice seeing ya smile like that...ya should do it more. Ya look better with a smile than that dead ass stare of yours..."
"Really now?" Gintoki sarcastically asked.
"Really."
His face froze for a moment to compute what she had said. It sounded sincere and genuine. The fact that she turned back to him with her own, gentle smile was a sign that she meant it too. He was already feeling very guilty for responding the way he did.
"Um...thanks." He sheepishly replied, completely failing to hide his embarrassment as he scratched his head. His embarrassment deepened when he felt his body turn and her hand glide up to his shoulder. He couldn't look her in the eye out of nervousness. And she was getting too close for comfort. Yet it felt nice being held this way, almost comforting. He snaked an arm around her waist and put on a peaceful smile, not wanting to be outdone. It was Tsukuyo's turn to light up red.
"How's this? Do I look better now?" He gently murmured. She slowly nodded her head in agreement before leaning into his ear.
"Much better." She whispered. The enunciation sent chills up his spine. His body went rigid momentarily when she rested her head against him. The feeling that he was getting before they left had returned with great passion, making him even more inclined to hold her closer as they embraced in comfortable silence. It didn't feel as alien to him as the first time. His chest was still quickly, but it didn't give him much anxiety. It all felt...natural.
When she looked up at him there was no sense of anxiety, but pure comfort and relaxation instead. It instilled a new sensation that neither of them could figure out, but it ran along the lines of lust. Their eyes were becoming more dreamy and distant, almost emanating a feeling of longing for one another. Logic was becoming suppressed in favour of their innermost desire. They didn't need any verbal cues to inch their heads closer to each other, nor did they need any to indicate their affections.
"...You owe me sweets by the way." He softly muttered.
"Hm? Seriously...?" She asked in an almost sleepy tone.
"Haven't seen Hinowa spy on us like the crazy matchmaker she is. Guess I won the bet." He chuckled. Tsukuyo sighed dreamily, almost wanting to be just a little bit annoyed but couldn't.
"Maybe ya didn't squint ya eyes hard enough...whatever. Let's get some sweets, maybe that'll pacify ya childish conscience." She said.
"Oh Gin-san! Tsukuyo! You're just in time! The fireworks display is about to start soon!" Hinowa chirped. "What did you get up to?"
"Not much Hinowa." Tsukuyo casually reported, pointing to Gintoki who was busy chewing through a large stick of cotton candy. "Scooped up some goldfish, had a walk around and bought this child some sweets."
"I won a bet to see if you'd be snooping on us while you left us alone." He explained. Tsukuyo rolled her eyes in slight annoyance, knowing that he was rubbing it in.
"I don't have any reason to invade your privacy to begin with, I simply wanted you two to enjoy yourselves." Hinowa politely stated.
"I don't know about that Mom...you've been acting super excited whenever you have an idea that involves them." Seita said worryingly.
"In any case, I'm glad that you managed to enjoy yourselves today!" The courtesan happily said.
The murmurings of the gathering crowd around them suddenly exploded into gasps of awe and excitement as a distant fizzling sound came from afar, before a orange trail zipped up into the clear sky and expanded with a deafening boom.
"Whoa, it's starting!" Seita shouted.
Several more fireworks followed suit within a matter of seconds, creating more loud bangs and collective sounds of amazement and wonder. The family couldn't help but stare up at the sky in awe as a multitude of colours were scattered above them. Gintoki took his eyes away for a moment and turned them to Tsukuyo, who quickly did the same. Whether it was intentional or not they didn't know. But they both knew from the warm smiles that they gave each other that their evening was one worth cherishing for a long time.
The fireworks display continued for several minutes, with almost little to no rest interval in between. When there was one, Seita looked around out of curiosity and spotted something that he didn't expect to happen.
"M-Mom...!" He whispered, tugging Hinowa's sleeves gently.
"Hm? What is it?"
The young boy pointed a finger over to Gintoki and Tsukuyo as they returned another warm smile once more before turning their eyes to the night sky. Hinowa at first seemed mildly surprised, but wasn't quite sure why her adopted son looked so alarmed, until he pointed a little lower. She had to cover her mouth slightly in shock.
Their hands were firmly clasped together.
"Do you think they...kissed or something?" He asked.
Hinowa gently shook her head with a faint smile. "No...but they're certainly more comfortable being with each other now. Let them have their moment. They deserve it."
You've finally managed to relax...I'm so proud of you both.