NOTE:
Oh, hello! I don't know what else to say in the initial notes to the chapters, but I just wanted to wish you a good read.
Over the course of the week, the ex-samurai's behavior was somewhat controversial: he seemed to be withdrawing more and treating them with coldness, showing himself to be annoyed by small attitudes. The poorly-resolved conversations with Kagura triggered insecurities about telling them the long-awaited news, further increasing his bad reputation for keeping secrets and raising questions about whether or not this really affected his personality. Gintoki felt like he was in a tug-of-war, with both sides pushing him to take action as soon as possible before he went crazy, but what would be the best way to tell him without ruining everything? He wanted something more relaxed so as not to leave that awkward feeling in their eyes, making it something special and fun, coming up with a plan in one night and putting it into practice the very next day.
As soon as Shinpachi entered the apartment, the first thing he saw was a Chinese girl and her giant dog awake early in the morning, which was strange, since he had never seen her awake at that time of day. Her eyes were full of dark circles, puffiness and a voice muffled with yawns. There was something strange as he entered and walked around the room, and he even questioned the redhead who was watching him from the kitchen door, where she brushed her teeth.
"Hey Kagura-chan, what happened to make you wake up so early?"
"Gin-chan wants to give an important message. We were just waiting for you."
"Waiting for me? What happened?"
"I don't know, even Tsukki is here."
"Ah? Tsukuyo-san?!"
"Yes..." - She nodded. - "It seems to be something serious."
"Coming from Gin-san, I really don't know if I should worry."
"I assure you, it's not too much." - said a thick, relaxed voice.
When they looked back, the two "children" saw that dead fish look that the albino had, with a hint of a bad night's sleep, but this time he seemed a little excited. Gintoki invited them to sit on the sofa facing Tsukuyo, who was on the end of the other sofa, while he leaned against the desk.
"So, Gin-san, what happened to make you want to get us together so early?"
"You better have a reason for waking me up, or I'm going to kill you!" - The redhead said in a brutal tone while the dog howled in the background.
Before starting his little speech, the albino cleared his throat so that they would both be silent while he kept his arms crossed and his eyes closed, showing his irritation at the situation, but also to hide the tension and super-anxiety he was feeling at that moment. He sighed and mentally counted to ten, starting his conversation with his casual relaxed face.
"Well... I've gathered you here today to let you know that a new member will be joining Yorozuya."
"A new member?!" - The pair questioned.
"Tsukki, what did that bastard do to make you agree to work with us?" - The redhead said, placing her hands on the coffee table with her neck stretched out towards him.
"I would never agree to work for this guy."
"Oh, so who would be crazy to accept that kind of service?" - Shinpachi questioned.
"He doesn't care."
"Does he know that you haven't paid our salaries for over six months?" - The redhead asked.
"He know."
"And what's his name?" - Again, the boy asked
"I haven't found out yet."
"Do you really know anything about this guy, you bastard?" - Kagura let out the words abruptly.
"Maybe, he's not much of a talker."
"And when will we meet him?" - The teenager looked at him in confusion as he asked.
"Um..." - The albino said thoughtfully. - "In less than nine months."
"NINE MONTHS, YOU BASTARD!" - Kagura shouted angrily. - "A CHILD CAN BE BORN IN NINE MONTHS!"
The room was silent as the two stared at each other, so much so that you could hear the clock hand ticking away, sounding increasingly strange. The blonde couldn't help herself and let out a slight laugh, making the situation even weirder.
"They understood so quickly." - He said, staring at the albino after picking up a cup from the table.
"Ah...?" - The pair said.
1... *Tic-Tac*
2... *Tic-Tac*
3... *Gong noise*
And the plug fell.
"O-O-O WHAT?!" - They shouted in astonishment
"WHAT-DO-YOU-MEAN..." - The boy stammered. - "I can't believe it!"
"FUCK! YOU BASTARD!" - Yato said, punching the albino in the face. - "HOW DARE YOU RAPE A WOMAN!"
"I DIDN'T RAPE ANYONE!" - He retorted with a rough tone.
"That's true." - Tsukuyo broke the fervent mood with a velvety voice, placing the cup of tea on the coffee table again. - "Everything that happened was with my consent."
Kagura and Shinpachi looked at a loss for words, their blinking eyes giving away their disbelief at the situation; Kagura even loosened the collar of the albino's blouse, causing him to fall.
"So, you're in a relationship?" - The boy said, confused by the situation.
"Theoretically, yes." - Tsukuyo replied at the same time as the albino got up from the ground with his face swollen from the punches.
"We are?" - Gintoki raised one of his eyebrows, stopping beside her.
"Yes, we are."
"I don't remember you formalizing that!"
"And was it necessary?"
"Of course, it was necessary, because you said you would think about it and told me to keep it a secret!"
"But I never imagined I'd be in this situation!"
"Wait... You're going to have a child and you don't even know if you're in a serious relationship?" - The boy asked worriedly.
"Yes!" - He replied
"No!" she replied together.
Although the two were together, they didn't really connect when it came to relationships. It was like an endless game of ping-pong where one always questioned the other about their relationship to find out where they stood with it. Tsukuyo had in mind that she had already been dating him since the first time they shared a bed together, but she didn't want to have to expose her personal life in this way. Gintoki, for his part, believed that she was just accepting him as a "bed partner", something she wouldn't take too seriously, whatever. Because of these points, he didn't want to take on something without her consent, so he asked her to formalize it this time.
The children just watched the childish attitudes of the couple, now resigned to the situation. Shinpachi found the scene a bit iconic and funny, but when he looked at Kagura's face, he didn't notice the same happiness, she looked more disappointed, as if something was bothering her while she looked at the albino's face, who also saw that sad face.
The exchange of glances was extremely uncomfortable, the albino didn't know how to express himself, so he looked down at the floor, trying to find words that could ease the tension that hung in the air. Kagura remained silent and left the room, being followed by the ex-samurai to the balcony, leaving the other two alone. When he leaned against the door, the redhead began to question him:
"You... Did you want to tell us about you and Tsukki? Or did you only tell because of the baby?"
"I meant to tell you, but..."
"But what?" she interrupted him. - "Is it some other stupid secret that you thought was worthless?"
"That's not it! I meant to tell you, but things happened so fast and by the time I realized it, so many events had occurred that I got lost in time."
"Lost in time? Does that make sense to you, Gin-chan?" - Kagura crossed her arms, showing her dissatisfaction.
"It doesn't matter." - He said gruffly. - "I wanted to do something more, I don't know, planned, not just break the news like that."
"But you've known about this for a while, haven't you? Wasn't it something you could have planned better?"
"Actually..." - He scratched his head, trying to formulate an answer. - "... I found out about the baby a few days ago, when I was ready to go to the old factory to be precise..."
The redhead felt surprised and at the same time something pricked at her chest, but she felt fulfilled, a mixture of emotions. Although she had already known that he would risk his own life to save them, she hadn't imagined that he would risk his son's future to protect her. Gintoki just looked into Kagura's eyes, trying to read her emotions, feeling the complexity of the situation and blaming himself for her anger. Again, he tried to explain himself, in a failed attempt to break the ice.
"And about my relationship with Tsukuyo, well..." - He said awkwardly. - "She-"
"She didn't want you to tell, did she?"
"Um, yes."
"I realized that you were surprised when she said that about you."
"That's so strange, don't you think?" - He relaxed, leaning on the wooden frame. - "I still can't believe that my life has finally turned upside down somehow. I'm not complaining, on the contrary, I'm happy and perhaps a little anxious." - He flashed a satisfied smile.
"Gin-chan..." - She said in a slightly shaky voice, a little disappointed and at the same time worried about being left in the background. She didn't want to show it openly, so she faked a smile and completed the sentence. - "I'm happy for you..."
"Thank you."
"Although you're an idiot and irresponsible at almost every moment, I think you'll make a great father."
"That subject again?"
"Yes. I wanted to apologize to you for being harsh. I didn't know what was happening to you and I ended up acting without thinking. I guess, in a way, I expected more from you, Gin-chan. Not that I'm disappointed by the news or anything, it's just... well, it's all so unexpected. I guess I still don't know how to fit it all into my head, you know?" - His voice began to relax. - "Sometimes I forget that we have a life outside of Yorozuya."
The albino looked incredulous at what the redhead had just said. She watched him staring at her with his eyes blinking in succession, making her face look confused.
"Did I say something wrong?" - She asked again.
"No... I just think it's a very mature thought for your age."
She realized that he hadn't really paid attention to her words. This irritated her, and made her punch him in the back of the head.
"Hey! Why did you do that?"
"Shut up, you bastard!"
-X-
At night, Fumiko went on night patrol following the same route that Tsukuyo used to take. There was nothing out of place, the city seemed quieter and the weather seemed to be just right.
A figure passed before her eyes, drawing her attention. He wasn't fast, so much so that Fumiko had no trouble, appeared to be wearing uncomfortable clothes, catching up with him. When she took a closer look at its face, she noticed that it was the courtesan who had fallen victim to Yohalo's drug.
"Kahena-chan? What are you doing here?" - She helped herself up. - "I almost attacked you."
"I... I need to find him!"
"Find who? I can help her."
"I can't say, just let me go!"
Fumiko noticed the aggressive behavior coming from the courtesan, although they weren't close, she knew her well enough to know that this behavior didn't belong to her, and she seemed altered.
"Kahena-chan tell me, what happened to you?"
"It doesn't matter!"
The courtesan pulled out a kunai and threw it towards her face, hitting her grazed and causing her to fall back. During this gap, she ran towards Yoshiwara's exit, but was stopped when Fumiko threw a few kunai at her, catching the end of her kimono and causing her to trip and fall. She instantly grabbed her handcuffs and put them on her, thus preventing her from attacking again.
"I'm sorry, but this is for your own good." - Fumiko said as she tightened the handcuffs.
A distinctive sound of heeled boots was heard coming from the roof, slowly walking towards them as it broke the silence of the place. This sound turned into the agile movement of a leap, stopping behind Fumiko, where it was revealed that it was a trio of Hyakka members patrolling the same area.
"Girls, I'm so glad you're here!" - The brunette said. - "I need you to take Kahena-chan to a safe place."
"And why should we obey you?"
"During Tsukuyo-dono's absence, I'll be in charge of Hyakka."
"We swear allegiance to Tsukuyo, not to a newcomer!"
"But I've been working at Hyakka for years!"
"You were one of Housen's last recruits, but you were so ugly that he put you in Hyakka out of pity."
"I... I don't care! I'm just doing my job." - Fumiko lifted the courtesan. - "If Tsukuyo chose me, it was on her own principles."
The other members didn't say anything, they just watched as the new leader took the courtesan to prison while failing to contain the young girl's aggressive behavior.
NOTE:
Heyyy! Stopping by to wish you a Merry Christmas and (belated) New Year 💙✨
I'd also like to celebrate with you the first year of this fanfic haha, how time flies.
But now from the bottom of my heart, may your 2024 be full of achievements and success, I'd also like to thank you for supporting this fanfic in some way and I intend to evolve as a writer to be better than you expect.
Until the next chapter and don't give up on me!