Fanfic Gintama seven days : Sakata Gintoki
Day 07 / 04
Even though it had been over twenty minutes since their scuffle ended, not a single word had come out of Saya’s mouth.
"Hey, why are you sulking like this? I'm not going to do anything to you."
Saya shook her head stubbornly, saying nothing. She was genuinely wary—especially after Gintoki had jokingly said he’d kiss her to shut her up if she kept being defiant.
The silver-haired man let out yet another sigh—he’d lost count—before pulling her up from her squat by the arm.
"Where are we going?" she asked, covering her mouth again as if to defend herself.
"Just follow me, okay?"
He led her down a walkway covered with natural archways formed from vines. When they reached the destination, Saya lowered her hand in shock.
"Beautiful, isn’t it?"
"...Very."
A large tunnel made of multicolored flowers stretched ahead. Stones and tiny waterfalls decorated the paths on either side.
"I remembered how much you love plants, so I figured you’d like this spot."
"Thank you, Gintoki. I really, really love it."
She sat down on a bench he’d prepared and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the flowers.
Every time she took in their fragrance, it refreshed her mind—and when that freshness reached her heart, her stress and sorrow would always ease.
"So, by the way..." Gintoki said as he watched her, "Not covering your mouth anymore?"
"Oops!" Saya quickly slapped her hand back over her lips.
He chuckled and stepped closer, gently pulling her hand away.
"You’re really that scared?"
(She nodded.)
"That scared, huh? I told you I was just joking. I won’t do anything."
"Really?"
"Really."
He sat beside her, but that only made her shift farther away. He pulled her closer again, closing the gap between them.
His face was calm—maybe too serious—but something about it felt sincere enough for her to lower her hand.
"Heh, got you, you little rascal."
"Huh—mmph!"
The moment she dropped her guard, his lips crashed down onto hers. Her small hands clutched his shirt, beat at his chest, but his kiss only deepened.
“Mmmf—hah!”
When he finally let go, Saya gasped for air. Her cheeks burned red, and her heart pounded like a drumline on fire.
"What the hell was that!" She slapped his arm, then kicked his shin.
"That’s your punishment."
"You said you were kidding!"
"That part was the joke." That part? I was just joking, I wouldn’t do anything—that was the joke?
"You old perv!!" She smacked him square on the head.
"You crazy brat! That hurt!"
"You lech! You creep! You’re the worst!" She grabbed his head, shook it violently, and even bit his neck.
"Ow! What the hell—you a dog or something?!" He grabbed her wrists and locked her in a hold, but she twisted and bit his arm next.
“Ow!” Just then, a message notification sounded.
rachel: I’ll come pick you up in 2 hours.
Saya froze instantly.
"Your sister’s coming to pick you up?" Gintoki asked. She looked up at him, lips trembling.
She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay longer, hang out more, spend time with the kids—and with him.
"Don’t make that face..." He gently stroked her hair, and she dove into his chest for a hug.
"I don’t want to go..."
"I know. But that place is your home, right? You’ll have to go back eventually." She didn’t answer. She just buried her face into his chest.
"Tell you what—we’ve still got two whole hours. Let’s go make the most of it."
"...Really?" She looked up, eyes shimmering with tears.
"What do you say?"
"Okay."
For the next two hours, they went to the beach they had passed before. But the whole time, Saya didn’t smile once, and she never let go of his hand.
"You okay?" Gintoki asked as he sat beside her at the harbor, waiting for Rachel.
Saya only gave a small shake of her head in response.
“Why don’t you want to go back? You don’t want to be with me?”
“I do… but I also want to be with you, Gin-san.”
“Then move in. That way we can be together.”
“Okay, I’ll move.”
Huh? What did she just say?
“Wait… what did you just say?” Saya turned to him with a flat expression. “I said I’ll move.”
“Wait… seriously? Are you being serious?” Saya nodded in reply, and Gintoki burst out laughing. Saya looked down at him as he kept covering his face and laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m laughing because I’m happy.”
“Happy about what?”
“This means I can finally expand my Yorozuya business! The second branch of Yorozuya is going to be fancy—with air conditioning and a stylish European cafe theme. Hey, what’s with that look you’re giving me?”
Saya stared at him blankly before letting out a small laugh. “So that’s why you’re happy, huh? I’ve changed my mind. I’m not moving.”
“What? You can’t do that! I was going to make you the general manager of the second branch! You’d handle marketing and accounting too!”
“And how much would you pay me?”
“Hmm… I’ll pay you whenever we get a job that month.” Sigh…
“What’s with that pout? Yorozuya doesn’t make that much money, you know?”
“Then where do you plan to get the money to open a second branch? Planning to swindle me or what?” she said while shaking his neck in annoyance. “You could help me find jobs, and with that, I’d have money to pay your salary!”
With equal annoyance, she gave him a light smack on the arm—but even so… she really did want to stay here.
A strong gust of wind and the loud sound of a massive airship landing on the ocean’s surface filled the air. The symbol of Detroit’s Magic Police was prominently displayed. Looks like it was time for her to return.
“Saya, it’s time to go.” Saya looked up at Rachel standing on the deck, then glanced at the silver-haired man beside her.
“Can I drop Gin-san off first? Edo’s far—I don’t want him going back alone.”
Rachel furrowed her brow and glanced at the silver-haired guy who stood expressionless next to her sister before sighing.
“Fine, but make it quick.”
Saya followed Rachel aboard the airship, scanning the interior. It was spacious with many crew members—likely here to take the Eliths back.
“Wait here for now. I’ve got a meeting.”
“Okay.”
“And you—” Rachel turned to the silver-haired man who raised a questioning brow. “If you lay even a finger on my sister, I’ll come back and chop your head off.”
With that, Rachel walked away, leaving the two of them standing there. “What’s your sister got against me, huh?”
“What did you do to her?”
“How would I know? I’ve just been minding my own business.”
During the journey back to Edo, Saya and Gintoki chatted the whole way. Some of the crew peeked curiously but didn’t dare interrupt the sweet atmosphere between them. Besides, they’d be parting ways soon—better to let them have their goodbyes now than not at all.
“Hey Gin-san, I heard from the kids you don’t have a cellphone, right?”
“You say that like I’m too broke to afford one!”
“I was just asking.”
“Yeah, I don’t. Why?”
Saya pulled out a phone and handed it to him. “Use this. That way we can still talk when I go back home.”
“For me? This thing’s expensive.”
“Yeah.” Gintoki took the phone and examined it. If he remembered right, this model was ridiculously pricey thanks to its high-end specs. Even if he worked nonstop, it’d take him years to save up for it.
“I already added my contact info. Try it out.” He followed her instructions, opening the chat—and sure enough, her contact was there. So were her siblings’, Shinpachi’s, Kagura’s, and the Shinsengumi’s.
“You added everyone else too?”
“Yeah, so you wouldn’t have to waste time adding them yourself.” She’s… surprisingly thoughtful.
“Oh, and this too.” Her small hand reached out and pulled his hand onto her lap, doing something to his wrist. “Here, wear this. I might need to hire you again later.”
It was the bracelet she had given him earlier—the one that let her lend him her powers.
“Don’t lose it. If you do, it’s a 10 million fine.”
“In that case, take it back. I don’t want it anymore.”
“You can’t take it off. Once it’s on, it stays on.”
“Hey, that’s unfair! So if I lose or break it, I have to pay?”
“Not my problem.” The little one made a stubborn face, which made Gintoki too irritated to resist. He put her in a headlock and ruffled her hair wildly.
“You little rascal. You’re so sneaky!”
“My hair’s all messed up now…” Eventually her ponytail came undone, and Saya had to let her hair down. “Now I look terrible.”
“Terrible? What are you talking about? You’re still beautiful.”
“Excuse me, we’ve arrived in Edo,” said one of the Magic Force members. Saya, who’d been enjoying herself, suddenly lost her smile.
“Sigh… We’re here already? I’ll be going, then.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“Suit yourself.”
She walked quietly behind the silver-haired man, staring at his broad back as her thoughts drifted to the past week. Her eyes began to warm, then tears slowly welled up. Gintoki, who was pushing the luggage cart, turned to look.
“Don’t cry. We can still chat even if we’re apart,” he said, ruffling her hair again—only this time it made her cry harder and throw herself into a full-on sob.
“You crybaby…” Unable to help himself, he wrapped her in a hug, gently stroking her back and placing a soft kiss on her head.
It wasn’t just Saya who felt sad—he did too. Normally, saying goodbye wasn’t a big deal. But this time it felt hollow… heavy. No matter how badly he wanted to keep her, he couldn’t.
He pulled back and wiped her tears, along with the snot that came out too.
“Why are you crying with snot coming out? So much for looking pretty.”
Sniff “It’s just sad, okay?”
“Sigh… Go on, then. If you stay longer, your sister’s going to come chop my head off again.” Saya pouted, reluctant to go.
“You can’t stay, Saya. But when you move here, I’ll take you on a month-long trip. Deal?”
“You promise?”
“Yeah.”
She gave him another hug before grabbing his collar and planting a kiss on his lips. “See you.”
“Yeah.” She wiped away the last of her tears and waved goodbye. “Tell the kids I said bye too.”
Gintoki didn’t reply, just waved back as the airship slowly lifted and soared into the sky until it disappeared from sight.
She’s gone now… and the feelings inside him were more clear than ever.
A dull ache spread through his chest. He wanted to cry but couldn’t. What he said about her moving in—he meant it. The thing about opening a second Yorozuya branch? Just an excuse. The truth was, his feelings were growing stronger. If he said he didn’t like her, he’d be lying.
Yeah, he liked Saya. He just hadn’t said it out loud.
Because Saya’s feelings still didn’t seem completely certain, and he wasn’t sure if what they had was the kind of like that meant becoming a couple.
“Gin-san, you’re back?”
“Yeah. Eh? What happened to you guys?” He frowned seeing Shinpachi, Kagura, Otae, and Sadaharu all panting like they’d just run a marathon.
“We were exercising, right Big Sis?”
“Yup!”
“Really…” He didn’t buy it for a second.
“Has Saya left already? We didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Just message her. You’ve got her contact now.”
“You must be lonely now that she’s gone,” Otae teased, smiling slyly. “If you miss her so much, just text her. It’s not that hard.”
As she said that, she pointed at the phone Saya gave him. Everyone gasped—especially Kagura.
“Did Saya give that to you? Why didn’t I get one too?”
“Go buy one yourself if you want it.”
“Wow, that model’s super expensive!”
“I want one, Gin-chan! Buy it for me!” Kagura stomped and jumped onto Gintoki’s back, nearly knocking him over.
“Fine, fine! I’ll buy it! Just get off—you’re heavy!!”
“Yay!!”
A notification popped up on Gintoki’s new phone. Naturally, the three kids plus Sadaharu all crowded around to see out of pure curiosity.
“What the heck, you guys? This is grown-up business.”
“Your business is our business too, Gin-chan!”
“No, it’s not! Get lost!” He shoved them away and finally checked the message.
saya: Sent a photo
saya: Set it as my wallpaper already
gintoki: Send me the photo too
saya: Sent a photo
He saved the image, set it as his wallpaper, and then tried to screenshot it to send it back.
“Shinpachi, how do you take a screenshot?”
In the end, he had to ask for help. He wasn’t used to these high-tech phones.
“Geez, Gin-san. Just press the volume down and power buttons at the same time.”
“Thanks.”
He followed the instructions, ignoring Kagura’s whining, and sent the screenshot to Saya.
gintoki: Sent a photo
gintoki: You think you’re the only one who can set it as a wallpaper?
saya: [Sends emoji]
He smiled, pleased, as he looked at the sakura garden photo on his wallpaper. Now they had matching wallpapers. No matter how far apart they were, their hearts weren’t. That saying still held true… as long as there’s something connecting you—like a bracelet, or a wallpaper.
End…