Genre: Drama/Humour

Rating: K+ (Pretty kid-friendly, if I may say so myself.)

Disclaimer: All rights belong to the ingenious gorilla, Sorachi Hideaki.

Gintama - A Second Chance

Chapter 4

Gintoki found his own mouth gaping open, yet he did not feel the urge to close it shut. After all, directly in front of him, there was a girl who was the spitting image of a certain newscaster in the future – his beloved Ketsuno Ana.

The girl tilted her head slightly to one side. "Ketsuno Ana?" Slowly, her face turned red; she began blubbering, "K-K-K-Ketsu…"

Gintoki noticed the girl's expression, before smacking his own forehead in disgust. It wasn't often that a woman was named 'Ketsuno Ana'; it was even less often that a person used it in a time when the said newscaster wasn't famous yet. The girl probably thought that he was just some pervert who enjoyed hearing little girls say such crude stuff.

"Sorry about that," Gintoki protested. "I didn't mean to say such stuff in front of you…" He hesitated, before asking, "You're not Ketsuno Ana, are you? As in the person, not the… you know."

The girl looked away and said, "No… I'm afraid that my name isn't…" She was biting her lips. "K-K-K-Ketsu…"

"It's alright. It's alright," Gintoki sighed. He should have known that luck was never with him in the past, even if this past him was technically the future him. Picking his nose, he asked, "What are you here for?"

The girl seemed dazed at his question, before slapping her own forehead in turn. "I totally forgot – I'm late!" she burst in panic. "Do you know where the training hall is?"

Gintoki raised an eyebrow; was she part of that Zangetsu School? "Just walk down the corridors," he gestured with a finger. "And go left, before turning right and head straight. That is the training hall…" His right eye twitched; the girl looked blank. Closing his eyes, he thought that this day must be the worst one so far before sighing, "I guess I could take you there…" When the girl gave him a look that constituted of both gratefulness and curiosity, Gintoki said, "I'm part of this school; I'm supposed to join the procession anyway."

The girl grinned. "I'm so lucky! Or am I…?" She started mumbling. "If I was lucky, I won't even miss the bus and run here in the first place…"

Gintoki had only just started walking, but promptly skidded to a halt. "You ran here?" He asked, dead-fish eyes widening.

"Yeah…" the girl mumbled, still unsure of her luck. "It wasn't far, but it was still good for a warm-up." She somehow missed the silver-haired child's gaping mouth. "Oh, please forgive me! I totally forgot to introduce myself!" Reaching out a hand, she said cheerily, "My name is Toya Sakae. What's yours?"

When Gintoki didn't reply, she looked at him curiously. "It's rude not to say your own name after others introduce themselves, you know," she said reproachfully. At this, the silver-haired child visibly tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Ah, apologies…" he mumbled, now looking at her uncertainly. "My name is Sakata Gintoki." He blinked. "Are you sure your name isn't Ketsuno Ana? No offence, but you're the splitting image of her-"

A shoe came out of nowhere and hit him squarely in the face – he found himself on the floor, dazed.

It might be early - but it's kind of safe to assume that even in the past, female gorillas have been making their marks on him.

X

Gintoki led the way – to be honest, more of followed – as they treaded through the boundaries of the school. His female counterpart was proving a tad bit more than excited – she was gasping at every single thing in sight. The silver-haired child subconsciously furrowed his eyebrows. Why did he even volunteer to be the tour guide for a little girl?

"Wow, look!" the feisty girl exclaimed for the umpteenth time. "That room is so spacious!"

Gintoki didn't even bother to reply; his protestations have fallen on deaf ears for the umpteenth time as well. Instead, he kept his eyes on the corridor ahead. He could hear the vague noises of boisterous boys and general fanfare, a sure indication that they were reaching the end point of their brief journey. He could not help but emit an indiscernible sigh of relief at the notion.

Yet… he thought to himself. Why did he feel an involuntary jerk when he heard the girl's name? It was weird – odd and weird. Had he known the girl in the past? He subconsciously gritted his teeth. Great, apparently he's horribly amnesiac about every single thing that had transpired in his less than colourful childhood.

They turned around a corner; Toya was pointing at wooden pillars, making loud exclamations of how ancient and majestic they looked. The silver-haired child decided not to mention that it was nothing but a fluke – the school just wasn't rich enough to afford modern renovations. He left the gasping girl behind and walked straight into a familiar-looking room – the training hall itself. Almost instantly, he wished he didn't.

"Gintoki!" the surprised voice of Yoshida Shouyo came streaming to his ears; as if in accompaniment, dozens of eyes turned to look at him, not all pleasant.

"Sorry, Sensei," the silver-haired child muttered. "I took too long to do my business in the toilet."

"What…?" the mocking tone of an orange-haired kid piped up. "Too busy bullying others to…" He trailed off. It wasn't just him; previous murmurs swiftly faded into thin air.

Gintoki raised an eyebrow; the idiots were all staring at him with a nonplussed expression – wait, were they actually staring at him…? It felt more like they were looking… behind him. Intrigued, the silver-haired child looked behind him to see a negatively familiar girl looking around her with this wondrous expression on her face.

"It…" Toya seemed hard-pressed to convey her words there and then. "It's… it's so big!"

"Sakae!" a raspy voice called out. Gintoki looked back towards the crowd and faintly registered an old man with wizened white hair stacked on his head like weeds. The silver-haired child could not help but narrow his eyes instantly; something was off about that old man, but he wasn't sure what. However, he was certain that it wasn't because of the more than odd hair – it was something else altogether. He couldn't quite point his finger at it, much to his frustration.

"Grandpa…!" a cry erupted, swiftly followed by light, rapid footsteps. Gintoki watched on as the girl who looked so much like Ketsuno Ana ran up to the old man and gave him a flying hug. He winced; the old man looked like he was in danger of cracking his back at one point.

"S-Sakae…" the old man said – more of gasped – as he set the girl back on her feet with some difficulty. "Why were you so late?"

"Sorry, Grandpa…" Toya murmured apologetically. "I kind of… got lost along the way…" In front of her, the old man was looking at her sternly.

"That's no excuse, Sakae…" the old man chided. "I expected more from you."

Toya looked forlorn, but it wasn't to be long. Before she knew it, the old man enveloped her in a hug of his own – a warm and relatively frail hug.

"But more than anything, I just want you to be safe," the old man with the literal weedy hair murmured softly. "Thank goodness you're safe and sound, Sakae…" In response, Toya emitted several indiscernible, soft murmurs of her own as she nestled against her grandpa.

The training hall was pretty silent by now. Gintoki took the chance to slip past everyone's stares; he didn't want his teacher to interrogate him later on. He meshed – ghosted – into a group of his classmates comfortably.

"Where did you go?" a voice hissed. The silver-haired child looked around; a raven-haired child was glaring at him.

"To the toilet," Gintoki replied shortly, raising an eyebrow as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Where else could I have gone?"

Takasugi shot him a critical look; the silver-haired child promptly turned back to see Toya finally unhinge herself from the old man – it might have been cheesy, but it beats having to meet Takasugi's disbelieving and intense gaze. Almost instantly, he regretted his split-second decision; the girl who looked so much like Ketsuno Ana had to meet his eyes at that exact moment. The next second, she was exclaiming cheerily to her wizened grandpa.

"Grandpa…! That boy helped me!" Toya grinned, pointing with a finger to the silver-haired child.

The old man followed the direction of the finger and locked eyes with a bewildered Gintoki. In that very instant, the silver-haired child's head started throbbing – it felt like someone was ramming his empty skull with a metal stick. Wincing, his right leg almost gave way; it took everything he had to even stand still in place. When he forced himself to focus on the sight ahead, the old man wasn't looking at him anymore.

"Thank you!" the old man clasped the hand of an evidently bemused Yoshida warmly. "Thank you! If it wasn't for your student…" he shot a warm glance at his granddaughter and back at the long-haired man. "Thank you!"

Yoshida took a moment to process everything in hindsight; he finally looks at Gintoki and smiles faintly. "I don't think you should thank me… after all, it's my student who helped your granddaughter."

The silver-haired child visibly hesitated as the old man turned to give him an almost appraising glance - yet again, the unfamiliar throbbing ravaged Gintoki's head before those wrinkled, lilac eyes.

"Well, I must say thank you for helping my granddaughter out," the old man wheezed. "She has always been ditzy – goodness me, what will happen to her if I'm gone?" he chuckled good-naturedly. At his side, Toya puffed her lips and glared at him.

"Don't talk like that, Grandpa," she berated. "I will get angry."

The old man finally tore his eyes away from Gintoki – the silver-haired child nearly crumpled onto the floor there and then – and looked at his granddaughter warmly. "Sorry about that, my dear Sakae. I shouldn't have said that." Affection lined his lips as he gave her a smile – a genuine one that did not seem to be in pretentious in the slightest. As Gintoki struggled to regain his bearings, he registered the fact that while the old man was suspicious hair-wise - his love for his granddaughter was definitely real.

Yoshida had been taking in the entire scene with naught but a faint smile, but he took it upon himself to step forward. "I'm glad that you found your granddaughter, Toya-san," he said brightly. When the old man greeted him back with a smile, Yoshida continued," If it's fine with you, shall we get the briefing going on?"

The older Toya nodded in agreement to the long-haired man's words; he cooed to Sakae, who then walked to a collection of her fellows with an evidently hesitant air. Once his granddaughter had found her place, the old man cleared his throat and began to speak before Yoshida intervened politely.

"Please allow me to perform the introductory speech, Toya-san," the long-haired man proffered, to which the old man accepted gracefully after a slight pause. Stepping back, the older Toya began to observe Yoshida alongside the many gazes in the hall. Without any further hesitation, the long-haired man stepped to the fore.

"Firstly, a warm welcome to our friends from Zangetsu school," Yoshida spoke warmly. "I would like to thank all of you for coming to our establishment…"

Gintoki promptly tuned out. He has never been one to listen to lengthy lectures attentively - regardless of whether it's the past or present.

X

"So Gintoki, which event are you going to sign up for?"

"Huh? What event?"

"You didn't listen yet again, did you?" Takasugi slapped his own forehead in resignation. "But then, I can't imagine you actually… well… listening."

The briefing finally ended after a powerful 45 minute talk by Yoshida Shouyo. Dismissed, the boys have taken the chance to mingle with the girls from the opposing school. Gintoki, Takasugi and Katsura, on the other hand, chose to utilise the unexpected break to fill up on their ravaging stomachs instead. As a result, they were seated around each other, tucking into their servings of katsudon with evident relish. The open air was breezy – comfortably so – and surrounded the boys with a pleasant disposition while they dined on the freshly mowed grass.

Gintoki didn't ask for it, but Takasugi proceeded to reel off the gist of their sensei's talk earlier on. The silver-haired child caught snippets of it: talent contests, cavalry battles and for some reason, Jenga.

"What are you going to sign up for, Takasugi?" a ponytailed child asked from the raven-haired child's side. He had somehow managed to conjure the words amidst swallows of food.

Takasugi pondered briefly. "Perhaps I will go with the… swordplay event…" He shot a glance out of the corner of his eyes at the silver-haired child, who did not miss the gesture.

"Don't look at me," Gintoki picked his nose nonchalantly. "I have better things to do than play around with kids."

X

"Hello – am I disturbing you?"

Gintoki looked back over his shoulder – Toya Sakae was following him with light footsteps, looking at him with two large, wondering eyes.

"Well, actually you are," the silver-haired child pointed out bluntly.

"The trees sure are nice, aren't they?" the feisty girl commented, pointedly ignoring the other child's affronted look.

Gintoki's eyebrows furrowed as he reiterated his stance.

"I just said-"

"I only have my grandpa left."

The silver-haired child did not utter the last few words of his pre-prepared sentence. Looking straight ahead, he continued walking as footsteps echoed after him.

"My mum…" the girl continued after a brief respite; she seemed uncertain on whether to divulge seemingly personal information to him. "She died giving birth to me… Whereas for my dad…" she hesitated. "Well, he abandoned me. I don't know why, but he abandoned me. Grandpa never said, but I've got a faint inkling. Dad probably… he probably abandoned me because Mum died. He probably believed that I caused Mum's death." She hesitated yet again.

Gintoki did not react, nor did he give her a look of recognition that he had heard. Nevertheless, Toya felt more confident instead; it was as if that square back was motioning for her to continue talking, to continue opening up about her fears. "That was why I got so uptight at my grandpa – he was saying my deepest fears. In truth, I was worried… fearful of what would happen if my grandpa leaves me as well."

The silver-haired child, yet again, did not offer any sign that he had absorbed her words. The girl swallowed uneasily and mumbled," Am I just being stupid? I mean, worrying about stuff that might not happen for years-"

"You're not." A crisp reply finally arrived; Toya looked up disbelievingly. "You're not stupid," Gintoki reiterated. "If you're stupid just by worrying about the unknown, the entire world is stupid. Believe me - I have seen some pretty stupid people in my days. You don't even come close to them."

Softly, he muttered under his breath so that she won't hear. "And I was the biggest one of the bunch."

The young girl stared at him blankly. "Don't you think I'm being weird? Saying such personal stuff to a boy I just met…"

The silver-haired child looked at her over his shoulder. His grin seems so much more mature and wise than it should be, Toya thought subtly.

"Did I mention that there are tons of weirder people out there as well? Let's see – does a masochistic, bespectacled kunoichi who demands to be spanked every single time come across as weird as you?"

X

In the days that followed, Toya came to open up to the trio of Gintoki, Takasugi and Katsura. To be exact, she opened up to Gintoki, but the others accepted her into their small group without fuss. They spent periods together, chatting about various sword styles and the pros and cons of the said styles. Toya proved to be pretty knowledgeable about swordsmanship – she talked down an evidently bemused Takasugi in a fiery debate regarding the Mushi style.

"Are girls trained in the art of the sword from birth?" an amused Katsura had commented after witnessing the humiliating defeat of his raven-haired counterpart. "Takasugi seems to be a novice compared to her!" That had warranted a furious Takasugi at his heels.

For some reason that Gintoki could not fathom, Toya seemed to enjoy his company. Whenever the silver-haired child ghosted past the arguing figures of his friends, she will always, without fail, follow him. She had also taken to his favourite chilling location – the familiar wooden pillars that constitute the entrance of the school – fast. Yet, the silver-haired child did not really feel irritated at the prospect of an unexpectedly persistent companion – on the contrary, he slowly started to accept her into his personal bubble. After all, it's the present all over again – in this case, however, he has a Ketsuno Ana lookalike instead of a redheaded Yato. He did feel a tad bit annoyed though; he didn't really feel find the space and time to practice with his sword. As a result, he found himself puffing heavily in the dead of night, when everyone has retired to bed.

The feisty girl would talk to him about her personal life: her fellows at school, her training routines (they really scared the hell out of him, even though he will never admit it) and arguably most often, her beloved grandpa. In return, Gintoki offered a patient, listening ear and would offer short replies at his disposal. Most of the time, however, he was the one staring at the blue sky and she the one talking to him excitedly.

Mashiro and gang seemed infuriated that Toya was hanging out with the likes of Gintoki, but were seemingly hesitant to insult him whenever the said Toya was with the silver-haired child. Apparently, they were all about impressions; in their bid to display a cool and desired exterior, they could not do a single thing against him. The rest of the class were still avoiding Gintoki like the plague though. If there was one thing Mashiro could still do, it was to fuel the lies that were cooking the fire – they seemed to avoid the silver-haired child to an even worse degree as compared to just a week ago.

When the day of the officiated competition finally arrived, sheer excitement rent the air. Eyes blazing and teeth set, every single child was without a doubt, aiming to be the one who would achieve glory for his or her own respective school. Even the normally composed Takasugi, was seen swinging a wooden practice sword testily on several occasions.

"I was just checking up on my chest," the raven-haired child had protested indignantly when caught.

Katsura, elegant and studious in his own right, was seen immobile for the first part of the day – the first event was scheduled to commence after noon – and steadfastly refusing to attempt any practice at all, claiming that he does not need it. Impressed, the onlookers soaked in his words like loose sponges – with the possible exception of Gintoki, who had snorted aloud when passing by. The silver-haired child decided not to mention the fact that the ponytailed child had been hard at work for the most of the night. It was also probably why he was immobile – he was simply trying to catch up on his deprived sleep.

The very first event turned out not to be the standard swordsmanship fare; Gintoki, reluctant to attend the event but practically forced to by a would-be destroyer, soon found his mouth hanging wide open. In front of him, Katsura's eyes were strained as he snarled in a display of hard-edged effort – and drew a card from the top of the deck.

"Hah! A +4, you suckers!" the ponytailed child cried wildly as he instantly unleashed the card.

The silver-haired child's eyebrows twitched. "Why would you even train with your sword if you're just going to participate in UNO the next day?" he demanded as he treaded closer to the barring line that separates competitors from onlookers.

"Ah, Gintoki!" the ponytailed child looked up at the voice. "Great to see you-"

"Don't act all friendly with me, Zura. I asked you a question!"

Katsura merely nodded sagely, which only served to agitate Gintoki to an unspoken extent. "Well, swords represent our souls after all. It's only right that I polish my soul, in order to take home the trophy in this intense fight."

The silver-haired child did not heed another word; he promptly turned on his heels and walked past a curious Takasugi. Behind him, the ponytailed child protested, "Where are you going, Gintoki? I'm going to win…!"

Gintoki did not look back. "I'm not in the mood for watching idiots. Besides, it's obvious that you're not the only one with a +4 card, idiot."

"What are you talking about…?" Katsura gradually trailed off as he saw three successive +4 cards dealt against him. Wincing visibly, he proceeded to draw sixteen cards with trembling fingers. "Ah, I see…"

The second event was held on the same day. Gintoki found himself being lugged to the venue, this time not by his raven-haired counterpart but a Ketsuno Ana lookalike instead.

"I'm not staying for some stupid UNO horse crap, do you hear me?" the silver-haired child called hoarsely as Toya dragged him along. "I'm not - are you listening to me?"

She had shaken her head eagerly. "It's something much more exciting than that, I promise!"

Apparently, that's what she said, Gintoki thought forlornly as he stared at an entire group of children writing frantically on white sheets of papers.

"How are… exams exciting?" he asked exasperatedly.

She answered with an unexpectedly high voice. "Yeah, they are! Look, just look at their concentration as they focus on the questions!"

Gintoki tried to look at them; all he felt was an inexplicable urge to have a nap there and then. The fact that a ponytailed idiot was in the midst of the exam takers did not serve to jerk him out of his daze. The fact that a raven-haired would-be destroyer was also in the midst did manage to grab his attention – however, it was only for the merest of moments.

At the end of the day, Sensei and the old guy with the literally weedy hair assembled everyone for a round down of the day. Apparently, Katsura did not make it through the first stage of the UNO tourney (Gintoki subtly recognized the fact that Zura did not improve in UNO throughout the years), though he did make it through the first stage of the written exams. Apparently, Takasugi made it through as well – he was looking over at Katsura with a strangely defiant look, which the latter did not seem to acknowledge. The silver-haired child did not really think about it – he had more important things to look forward to – but it did pique his interest… a little.

On the second day of the interschool competition, the customary swordplay event took hold. As part of a honorary bonding attempt between both schools, attendance for the event was deemed compulsory. As a result, Gintoki found himself dragging his feet to the venue (If he had acted sick, Shouyo-sensei would have come baying after his blood). Once there, he stared all around the hall for a spot that did not have glares coming at him and proceeded to plop his bottom on the floor.

Zura was participating (Just how many events was that idiot competing in?); Takasugi was entering as well (Why wasn't he surprised?). However, he did register the fact that Toya was heading into the bout as well – despite all her knowledge of swords, he still has not witnessed her proficiency at the sword practically. As Gintoki picked his nose, he subtly recognised the fact that someone whom runs all the way from a mainstream school to a countryside one as a training routine could not possibly fare too badly in a physical event.

The preliminaries were scheduled for the day – the finals were supposed to be held after every single event has concluded. When it commenced, the silver-haired child wasn't too surprised to see Takasugi and Zura ease their way through. What did surprise him, though, was something else altogether.

"For the next round," Yoshida Shouyo read off a single slip of dry, brown parchment. "We have Mashiro Moritaka and Toya Sakae. Would both competitors please step forward?"

In accordance with the long-haired man's words, two figures stood up from their spots and made their way to the makeshift arena. Equipping their respective gear smoothly, Gintoki watched on as they adjusted every single strap and proceeded to face each other, wooden sword in tow. He furrowed his eyebrows at the grin on Mashiro's face – that idiot must be thinking that he had an easy victory at hand.

They seemed to share a brief exchange of words, during which Toya's face seemed to tauten.

Yoshida Shouyo verified that their apparatus were properly done, and that the competitors were well-prepared, before he announced, "Start!"

The orange-haired kid wasted no time; he was charging at Toya, clearly aiming for a quick strike to finish the match. Yet, the girl did not move from her spot, nor did she make any preparations to parry the impending blow. In fact, she was motionless. Mashiro's smirk was wider than ever; he evidently thought that she had given up.

Gintoki thought so too; he took it in with a disbelieving gaze. Just as he was about to shout for her to move, the words were caught in his throat. He stared on blankly as Toya dodged under Mashiro's guard in a split-second, before ramming her sword into his chest. Flailing, the orange-haired kid went sailing to the floor.

The silence was loud, impeccably loud.

Gintoki could only gape as Toya bowed to Yoshida – who was looking utterly nonplussed – and swiftly walked towards the exit. As he followed her line of passage, he subconsciously realised that he was moving along with her. Words of denial screamed in his head – he had to know.

Those unorthodox skills… had she been the one who had imparted them to him all those years before?

Toya Sakae – the girl who took pity on him all those years before… and the girl whom he actually treated differently.

The girl who would perish in the Joi war in years to come…

X

"Hey, hey!" the silver-haired child called as he followed Toya. "Hey, wait up!"

The said Toya looked behind her, hesitated before asking, "What are you following me for?"

Gintoki gritted his teeth. To hear such a question from someone who followed him on a daily basis wasn't the most pleasant experience. In fact, it pissed him off to no end. To his credit, he didn't voice his dissentients aloud – they weren't important now. Not that important anyway.

They walked on for who knows how long, before the feisty girl finally skidded to a halt; the silver-haired child nearly crashed into her.

"Hey, give me a warning when you-"

"I told you before, didn't I?" Toya said in a tone that took Gintoki aback – it was cold and mature, a stark difference to her usual cheery tone.

"Told me what?" the silver-haired child echoed.

She didn't look at him. "I told you that my mother died when she was giving birth to me. I told you that my dad abandoned me at birth. I told you that my grandpa was the last person I had in my life."

Gintoki was silent. Toya didn't seem to mind; she took a deep breath before continuing. "Those weren't just one-time occurrences. They… followed me throughout my life." She hesitated. "My fellows… discriminated me. They said that if I wasn't a girl, if I did not have my grandpa, I would have been casted out at birth."

The silver-haired child raised an eyebrow. "What has that got to do with anything…?"

Toya's head was hung at a low angle. "They believe me to be bad luck. They think that I caused my mother's death and my father's disappearance… which they are right about…"

So that was where she got her self-depreciation ideas from, Gintoki thought.

"It's also why I started working really hard," Toya said slowly. "I didn't want to let my grandpa down; I didn't want to be known as bad luck for the rest of my life." She paused. "I wanted to prove that even if I wasn't a girl, even if I did not have my grandpa, I would still have been able to make it."

Any previous notions of where the girl might have gotten so angry from were quickly confirmed. "That idiot said something to you, didn't he?" Gintoki murmured softly.

She actually clenched her fist, yet it seemed to be more of resignation than anger. "He said that… he will end the match fast… said that he was a… gentleman."

"Well, he does have a tendency to be the most insensitive asshole of all time," the silver-haired child tried to reason.

"You don't understand…" Toya exclaimed all of a sudden. She finally spun around to face him; her face was distinctly tear-tracked. "No matter what I do – people are just going to treat me as a girl… the Toya household's orphaned granddaughter… the liability who's dragging my old grandpa down-"

She caught her breath; her eyes widened.

"Girls, women, females… they shouldn't cry," Gintoki said as he looked at her in the eyes; he was resting a warm hand on her head, subtly patting her soft hair. "Just remember that even if your fellows still discriminate you, even if strangers discriminate you, even if the whole world discriminates you…" he smiled faintly. "Just remember that your grandpa would never discriminate against you. Isn't that the whole point? Trying to make him proud?"

Toya visibly hesitated as the silver-haired child rubbed the stale tear tracks off her eyes, but she did not move away.

Gintoki slowly sighed and smiled good-naturedly as he took his hand off her head. He didn't need to ask her anything – he already knew. In fact, he had always known all along. Those unorthodox skills he decided to incorporated in his swordplay years ago; the stoic refusal to see women cry; the fact that he absolutely fancied Ketsuno Ana in the present. They originated from a source in the past, and as luck would have it, he managed to chance upon the said source for the second time in his life. He might not have been able to protect or cease her tears in the past - but the second time… this time, will be different.

As he began to walk away, he subconsciously tucked his right arm in the folds of his blue keikogi. Behind him, light footsteps started to echo after him. Smiling faintly, he began to sprint.

"Last one to the cafeteria would have to give up her portions to the winner!" he called.

A gasp of surprise was swiftly surpassed by a burst of dry laughter. "You wish!"

They ran through the hallways, neck to neck and laughing all the way.

It wasn't just his teacher he needed to protect, Gintoki thought. The people around him – a feisty girl beside him included – deserved to be protected too.

And he shouldn't be calling Toya a Ketsuno Ana lookalike.

He should be calling Ketsuno Ana a Toya Sakae lookalike.

At least, to him anyway…