Four times Gintoki was asked if he had children, and one time he said yes.

I.

The first time was when Gintoki was sixteen and fumbling around with a prostitute in some shady brothel to the east of Edo, where he and the others had just finished battling members of the Dog Clan.

They had lost a lot of men today, and their Platoon leader had ordered them to separate so that the Amanto wouldn't catch them all together.

He, Katsura, and Takasugi along with a handful of others had fled towards the sea, hoping to throw their chasers off their tails.

The woman he's with isn't an exquisite beauty, but she was warm and comforting which was exactly what he needed right now.

"Do you have children?" She asks suddenly in the dead of night, causing Gintoki to turn to her, his pinky stuck up his nose.

"Eh?" He mumbles sleepily, squinting at her dark silhouette.

"Children." She repeats, sighing with melancholy. "Do you have any?"

Gintoki rolls over on his back, staring at the ceiling with blank eyes. He knew that he looked older than he was, but that was because he had already been fighting for a year and half, having stormed into battle when he was just fourteen. And since this was just his first foray into the wonderful world of women, he definitely didn't have any brats running around. Not unless he had a magic dick or something.

"No."

"I do." She runs a hand down his bare abdomen, chuckling when he tenses. "Or I did." Her breath hitches as she wraps herself around him, clinging to him for comfort. "He died a year ago. One of those bastard aliens hacked him to pieces right in front of me."

It was said in a way that had Gintoki feeling cold. There was barely any emotion in the woman's voice, as if she had totally disassociated from the event, which she probably had.

"They said that they were doing the world a favor. Said that it was better to kill him then to see him grow up to be a rebel where he could be slaughtered on the battle field."

"How old was he?" Gintoki asks despite himself. He knows what it feels like to see a loved one taken away. He know how helpless you are in that moment, how that feeling chokes you to where you feel like you can't breathe anymore.

"Six months." The woman murmurs softly. "His name was Souichiro. He had light brown hair and beautiful brown eyes, the eyes of a warrior. He would have been a wonderful samurai."

Gintoki allows the woman to roll atop of him, allows her to ride him, screaming out the name of another man, probably her baby's father. When she's done, he listens to her soft sobs and dresses quickly, leaving as soon as he can. As first times go, this one is definitely memorable.

The war wouldn't be over anytime soon. There would be more Souichiro's every day. He reminds himself that those Souichiro's are who he fights for. He doesn't fight . for his country, he fights because of it.

He fights because his teacher has been taken, because people are dying for sins they have not committed.

When the next battle arrives, Gintoki tears through his enemies with the ferocity of a demon. It's on that day that he earns his infamous moniker. Shiroyasha. But he is not a demon, the surviving villagers whisper later on. He's a knight with silver hair that's drenched in blood of Amanto who tried to round up local orphaned children and sell them to the highest bidder.

Unknown to him, the people of the village that he had saved open a new orphanage and call it Ashigara after learning that his name was Sakata Gintoki. It's too similar to the Sakata no Kintoki of legends to ignore.

Ten years later, when Okita Sougo asks why Gintoki tends to call him Souichiro more often than not, he receives an enigmatic smile along with a because you're a wonderful samurai.

He chalks it up to some psychological tactic, but doesn't correct the older man when he says it again the next day.

II.

The war's over now, and Gintoki has just been let go by the 16th Ikeda Yaemon. The executioner gives Gintoki several onigiri and fresh water, telling the young man to take care of himself.

Gintoki wanders around, lost in his own self-loathing. He would rather be beaten up by those guards again than be free. At least then, he could forget what had happened and drown in his pain.

The war was over, but its effects never would fade. The Joui Four was forever splintered. Takasugi probably hated him, Katsura was hell-bent of destroying the current ass-kissing Shogunate, and Tatsuma had gone off to space.

Shouyou was dead, and so was his will to live.

As he shivers in his threadbare clothes, his eyes are drawn to a mother and her two children, a son and daughter, who are huddled in an alleyway, holding on to each other for warmth.

The oldest child, the girl, spies him and his large bundle of food and tugs on her mothers patched kimono, pointing at him frantically. Her mother turns to him, resignation and hope warring within her desperate gaze. Her eyes dart to his hands and back to his face, pleading with him silently to share his bounty.

Sighing, Gintoki walks over to them and plops down next to the girl. Without saying anything, he places an onigiri into each of their hands and bites into one himself, inwardly wondering why he was even bothering to help people when he himself didn't know when his next meal was going to be.

The boy unceremoniously plops into his lap, giving Gintoki a large hug. He's all of three years old, but there is a weariness to the boy's posture that makes Gintoki hug him back. The kid is dirty and smelly and more bones than meat, but Gintoki thinks it's probably the warmest hug he's ever received.

The rest of the food and water is consumed in silence. As he gets up to leave, the girl catches the hem of his kimono. He stares at her, scratching his head when she blushes slightly.

Pulling out something from under her tattered clothing, the girl places something in Gintoki's palm. A lollipop.

"For you." She whispers shyly. "Thank you, nii-chan."

Gintoki manages to smile, knowing that the girl had probably stolen it from somewhere. It was going to be her treat, something to savor, but she had given it to him instead. He knows what she had just sacrificed for him.

"Airgatou." He mumbles, wanting to get away from them.

"Do you have children?" The mother asks him as he's about to leave the dingy alley, pulling her own closer.

"No." He runs a hand through his hair, noticing it was getting too long for his own liking.

"And yet you gave your food to a starving mother and her children." The woman cries lightly, bowing to him deeply. "How can I ever repay you?"

"By living." He says immediately, unnerved by her tears. "Live, prosper, let your kids laugh again."

"You should have children." The mother smiles a watery smile. "You would be a great father."

Gintoki disagrees, his guilt of not being able to save the only father he knew weighing him down too much. How could he be responsible for another life when he wasn't able to protect the ones he cared about the most?

He doesn't say anything more, opting to ruffle both the kids' hair and wave goodbye, sticking the lollipop in his mouth. Strawberry, he notes, relishing the sweetness. It's his new favorite.

A few days later, he's devouring a dead man's dango and making a deal with his hag of a wife. She takes him to her bar and asks if he wants anything. When he demands some Dom Perignon, she scoffs and pours him strawberry milk instead.

From that day on, he's addicted to it and anything sweet.

Five years later, he is asked for help by a self-declared hard-boiled detective. He's not sure what to make of the cigar-smoking man, but when he catches sight of the assistant he brings along, Gintoki agrees.

He doesn't ask the girl-who-looks-like-a-boy, now called Haji, where her brother and mother are, nor does he think that she remembers him at all. He's content in knowing that at least someone was able to escape from despair and lead a somewhat normal life.

But at the end of the case, she slips him a strawberry lollipop and a picture of a young boy and middle-aged woman, both of whom are smiling brightly at the camera in front of a convenience store.

Kagura and Shinpachi wonder who would give them coupon for a lifetime of free onigiri at a particular store, but they're not complaining.

The woman sees him as he's entering the store and drags him by his hand. The boy, who looks whole and healthy gives him another hug, and this time, Gintoki can't feel the boy's ribs.

As the boy bounds off to where Kagura and Shinpachi are, the woman eyes him fondly and looks at the two teenagers who entertain the boy with a game of Magical Banana.

"I told you you would make a wonderful father."

III.

Kagura has nightmares.

Gintoki learns this four months into letting the girl stay in his closet. She wakes up screaming bloody murder, calling for Mami and Kamui-nii. Never once does she shout for her father.

It gets so bad, Gintoki lifts her out of her closet every night and lets her sleep on his futon, not caring that she sobs into his shoulder, or wipes her snotty nose into his shirt. He listens to her cry herself to sleep before dozing off himself.

When dawn comes, and the first rays of sunlight hit his face, he transfers Kagura back to her 'bed', knowing that she won't be waking up anytime soon. He's content in letting her manhandle him a few hours later.

Every morning, she asks why he's such a lazy bum who can't bring himself to wake up at the reasonable hour of 8:00 a.m.

Every morning, he responds that he's secretly a spy who only does his missions in the dead of night.

It's their morning ritual which Gintoki is perfectly happy with, even though it means that he only gets around three good hours of sleep.

When Otose finally asks why he looks like a panda one day, Gintoki tells her the truth, admitting that he's going to need some help with this. It's been nearly a year since Kagura's been with him, and the problem hadn't gone away yet.

Otose looks at him with something that can only be described as pride, and it has Gintoki's chest aching because how long had it been since someone had looked at him that way?

"You're good for her." Otose pats his hand gently. "I was doubtful at first, but you do a better job of parenting her than most parents."

Gintoki stiffens, but laughs it off. "She's not a baby! She's a little demon and you and I both know it."

"Little demon eh?" Otose laughs throatily, taking a long drag from her cancer stick. "So she's a little you, ne Shiroyasha?"

"Stop." Gintoki growls, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. He glances at his landlady who just snorts but drops the subject.

"I know a person who can help." Otose writes a number down and gives it to Gintoki. "He specializes in it." Brows furrowing, Otose takes back the number as soon as Gintoki reaches for it. "On second thought, I'll call him here instead of you going there. It'll be less awkward for Kagura-chan that way."

Otose dials, and the person on the other end picks up almost immediately. Gintoki ignores most of the conversation until Otose flicks his forehead, a sly smile on her face.

"He's asking if this is for your daughter."

Gintoki scowls and downs the cup of strawberry milk that he had been nursing for the last half-hour. He flips the old hag the bird and storms out of the bar, his heart clenching as he catches Otose's muffled words.

"Yes, that's his kid alright."

Two days later, a man about Otose's age with kind gray eyes and many wrinkles sits on the Yorozuya's sofa with Kagura, Gintoki, and Shinpachi in front of him. Shinpachi already knows what Kagura goes through nearly every night, having witnessed it many times before.

Their loyal dog lies in front of the sofa, acting as a foot rest.

"Can you tell me what you dream of?" The old man asks gently.

Kagura doesn't answer at first. She's mortified to know that her night terrors still haven't gone away, and that Gin-chan knew about them since the beginning. When she learns what he does for her, she stops herself from jumping into his strong arms and falling asleep right there and then.

"My Mami." Kagura says finally, taking comfort in the arm that's draped around her shoulder. Shinpachi shifts closer to her so that their legs are touching.

"I dream of her, and how my brother left when she got too sick." Kagura sniffles. "Sometimes, my brother kills Mami before killing me in my dreams."

The arm around her shoulder tightens, and Shinpachi takes hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers.

The session goes on for another two hours as Kagura talks and talks, finally unleashing years of pent up emotions towards her brother and father and how they abandoned her and her mother completely.

She tells them how her brother forced her to fight the stronger Yato to prove her worth to him. She tells them how he left her lying in a pool of her own blood, sneering at her supposed weakness. She tells them that her dying mother used the last of her strength to help her recover, before breathing her last when Kagura was only five.

"What do you feel towards your father?" The man sighs heavily, exchanging a look with the other adult in the room who looks close to killing something.

"He's still my Papi," The girl starts slowly, "But I don't think I could consider him a father. He was never there for me when I needed it. He never saw me grow up. Never treasured me. Not like Gin-chan..." She looks up sharply, as if startled by her own conclusion. She sneaks a peak at the man next to her, surprised to see that he looked shocked.

The counselor nods, glancing at the silver-haired man sitting next to her. He's tense and fidgety, but all of his attention is focused on the little girl who is now snuggled into his side.

"I see." He fights back a smile, vowing to thank Otose for letting him see such a unique family.

"You don't need that baldy!" The boy with the glasses exclaims vehemently. "You have us! We're your family!"

The girl's blue eyes widen in astonishment and fill with water. She is quiet for a few moments, as if taking time to process what she had heard.

"Family." Kagura chokes, taking in Gintoki and Shinpachi's smiling visages. Yes. Family.

She slings her arms around both of the male's necks and pulls them towards her, a wide grin on her face. The dog beneath all of them yips in agreement and thumps his tail, rattling the entire apartment.

The old man can feel his heart warm at the scene in front of him, and knows his work here is done.

He shakes hands with the young samurai who looks like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. The younger male bows deeply, and forces the girl to do the same. He is surprised when she embraces him instead, but pats her head dutifully.

"I didn't do anything." He says to Gintoki, watching as the children make their way to Otose's for lunch. "I just listened, we all did."

"You listened." Gintoki sighs, looking off into the distance. "That girl has experienced too much too fast. So has Shinpachi. At the end of the day though, they're just kids, and it's my job as the adult to care for them and help them grow. But I can't do it alone. So thank you."

"They see you as family." The older man smiles. "Both of them. You do so much, and expect so little in return."

"I do what I can." Gintoki swallows heavily. He knows that he loves both of them, loves everyone in this bar, well, except for Catherine. But even the cat burglar is someone who he would kill for. He's never been good with emotions, not since Shouyou. He prefers to show how he cares in subtle actions.

When night falls that day, Gintoki sets up a futon right in their living room. Shinpachi and Kagura are on either side of him with Sadaharu curled up by their feet. Shinpachi's arm is thrown over his chest, and Kagura's legs rest over Gintoki's torso, her feet digging into Shinpachi's side.

It's awkward and somewhat painful, but comfortable at the same time. It perfectly sums up their family, he thinks. Gintoki goes to sleep that night knowing that Kagura's going to be just fine.

The next morning, he's surprised to see a framed picture of himself, the kids, and Sadaharu while they were sleeping resting on a shelf in the bar. Catherine was a better infiltrator than he thought.

Gintoki catches Otose's eyes, rolling his own when she raises a knowing eyebrow at him.

"Don't say it, you hag." He grumbles with mock anger.

"They're yours." Otose states firmly, daring him to disagree.

Gintoki doesn't say anything for a few minutes. He's lost in his own thoughts, and Otose knows this.

"I know." He finally acknowledges, staring at the old woman with a certain glint in his eyes.

"I've always known."

IV.

"All those for you?" An amused attendant in a dirty magazine shop gestures to the bundle that Gintoki brings to the register.

"Please." Gintoki scoffs. "I'm into stuff that's much more hard-boiled!"

"Ah," The attendant laughs knowingly. "Someone in your family is becoming a man then."

Gintoki nods, inwardly sighing. Shinpachi was sixteen (and had been for the past 13 years since the Manga had first begun). He needed a better outlet for that frustration. His Otsuu music was annoying, and Shinpachi was definitely NOT the best singer.

"My son went through the same phase." The attendant shoots Gintoki a look, as if wondering how old he was. "Your son is what, fifteen?"

"Sixteen." Gintoki automatically corrects the man. Why did everyone assume this was for his son? Why not brother?

"What an age." The attendant is not even half way through yet.

"Tell me about it." Gintoki ruffles his hair. "The other one is fourteen, and I have to make sure that she doesn't see this stuff."

"You have a girl too?" The other man looks sympathetic. "Wait till she starts dating!"

"Please don't remind me." Gintoki growls, thinking of a certain lanky teen who has been hanging around their home more often. Kondo and Hijikata had better control their kid before Gintoki accidentally neutered him. His fingers snake towards Lake Toya on instinct.

The attendant chuckles, finally done. Gintoki raises an eye at the price, but pays without complaint. Porn was worth every penny.

"Bring your son next time!" The attendant waves as Gintoki leaves. "I'll thrown in something special."

Gintoki mentally promises never to let Shinpachi in here, because then the boy would ask why people here thought Gintoki was his father.

OoOoOoOo

Shinpachi looks at Gintoki like he's Buddha incarnate when the bag of dirty porn is thrown at him.

"Don't let your sister see that." Gintoki warns, completely serious. That woman would take her time killing him if she ever found out.

The boy shakes his head, and enlists Gintoki's help in turning his room into the perfect porn paradise.

Thirty minutes later, both of them are pleased with their work and grinning like loons as they look at pictures of naked women together. Both of their noses are sluggishly dripping blood, but they don't care.

After ten more minutes, Shinpachi lets out a tired sigh and flops back on his bed.

"Ne, Gin-san?"

"Hm?"

"What were you doing when you were sixteen?"

Gintoki sits up, his face blank. Shinpachi's eyes shine with curiosity as well as trepidation. "Why do you want to know?" He questions after a moment of silence.

Shinpachi thrown himself off of his bed and picks up his practice sword, swinging it expertly. "Because here I am, reading porn without a care in the world, and that's normal in this day and age. Did you do the same?"

Gintoki runs a hand over his face, wondering if he should tell the truth, or lie blatantly. In the end, he sees how serious Shinpachi looks and decides that he can't lie to the eyes of a fellow samurai.

"Ten years ago, I put everything you see in porn into practice and became a true man."

He dodges the projectile that's aimed at his head and snickers at Shinpachi's outraged sputters.

"Ten years ago, I was on the battlefield, killing Amanto left and right, wondering if I was going to live tomorrow or not."

Shinpachi sobers immediately. Gintoki doesn't talk much about his past, leaving him and Kagura in the dark about most of the war. All the teenager knows is that Gintoki is knows as the Shiroyasha, an almost legendary figure from the war who fought alongside Takasugi, Katsura, and Sakamoto.

Shinpachi also knows that a lot of people, including the Shinsengumi know of Gintoki's true identity, but don't do much about it, preferring to observe and even respect him from a distance. The older man had gone through something unimaginable, something which he doesn't want the children in his life to go through.

"How old were you when you first started fighting?" The teen can't stop himself from asking.

Gintoki looks pained, but exhales slowly and answers anyway. "Fourteen."

"Kagura's age." Shinpachi breathes, his chest constricting. Gintoki is resting his head against the wall, his bangs covering his eyes. What had happened all those years ago that had made someone that young take up the sword and risk his own life?

"Don't, Patsuan." Gintoki has a self-deprecating smile on his face that looks foreign on the normally cocky visage that he sports. "It was a different time, and I'm a different person now."

But you're not. Shinpachi thinks, recalling all the times when Gintoki had swung his sword in order to protect what he loved. That man had even taken on the ex-Shogun in order to keep his promise to Suzuran! He had attacked an entire government for the sake of one woman!

"Did you ever have someone who bought porn for you?" Shinpachi asks almost hesitantly, knowing that Gintoki doesn't like to talk about his formidable years.

The older man laughs bitterly, flipping through another porn magazine feigned interest.

"I would have." He murmurs. "But that's why I fought a war. To get that person back."

There is so much repressed sadness and guilt in Gintoki's voice, that it brings tears to Shinpachi's eyes. Wisely, he lets it go at that point, mentally noting to research the war in greater detail.

Seconds later, Shinpachi is hit in the face with a magazine and Gintoki is standing over him with a shit-eating grin. "Shinpachi, this is supposed to be a learning experience! Don't ruin it by bringing up things of the past!"

Shinpachi doesn't say anything further, but he is determined to make it up to Gintoki in some way as a thanks for everything that the man had done for him until this point.

Three days later, he's standing in the very shop that Gintoki had bought the porn for, glancing wearily here and there, waiting for his sister to come and slap him silly.

"Hello there young man!" An employee strolls over to him. "You look a bit young to be here!"

Technically, he wasn't. Sixteen was the age that you had to be to enter the store.

"I'm of age!" He frowns grumpily. "But could you help me?"

The other man nods enthusiastically. "What do ya need?"

"Well," Shinpachi wipes his sweaty palms over his hakamas. "The other day, someone bought me a lot of these magazines." He points to a shelf that was geared at a younger audience. "I wanted to return the favor, but I'm not sure what to get."

The employee furrows his brows, as if in deep thought. "This person, did he have silver hair, a wooden sword, and dead-fish eyes?"

"Yes!" Shinpachi exclaims. "Do you know him?"

"So you're his son!" The employee steers him over to a more adult section. "He mentioned that he liked things a bit more hard-boiled, so here you go!"

Son? Shinpachi stares at the older man blankly, almost dropping the racy magazine that was thrust into his hand.

Son?

Shinpachi clears his throat and dazedly nods. Seriously?

SON?

"How's your sister, by the way?" The employee asks him as he leads Shinpachi to the register. "Your old man mentioned that she was...thirteen I think?"

"Fourteen." Shinpachi shakes himself. "She's fourteen."

"Funny." The employee takes the money that Shinpachi gives him. "Your dad corrected me when I guessed wrong on your age too." He hands Shinpachi magazine and winks. "Like father, like son, ne?"

"Yeah..." The teenager manages to give a small bow, his mind still not comprehending what had happened. "Like father, like son." And the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that it's true. His own father had died when he had been incredibly young, and he loved his sister, but she wasn't a male role model, no matter how flat her chest was.

Hajime-nii was great, but no matter how close they were, there was always distance between them. But with Gin-san...it's different. The man was a near-diabetic, pachinko loving, walking contradiction, but he was also a samurai. The greatest samurai that Shinpachi knows. Before Gintoki had come along, Shinpachi was just a pair of glasses wearing a human.

Now, he's a human wearing a pair of glasses. He learned what a family really was, learned that things are easier if you have people to share your burden with, learned that not speaking out in the face of injustice is the same as condoning it, and learned that strength means nothing if you don't use it for the right reasons.

Gintoki doesn't seem like much at first glance, but everyone who meets him agrees that there's something about him that you can't help but be drawn too. He's always there if you need a hand, even if his methods for helping you are unorthodox.

Wasn't that what a father did?

And as he exits the store, the boy had the largest grin on his face.

Because this was so going to be the greatest blackmail material ever.

He couldn't wait to go tell daddy dearest what had just happened.

V. And one time he said yes...

If someone asked Sakata Gintoki what he would be doing a decade after the war, he definitely wouldn't have said that he would be shuffling his feet at the International Space Terminal, waiting for two people to come home.

They had won.

Against all the odds, they had won.

Nobu-Nobu was gone. The Tendoshu were gone. Utsuro was gone.

The position of the Shogun was essentially null and void, with Matsudaira taking control of much of the military and trying to fill the gap that the old Bakufu had created.

That was two years ago.

Japan was leaning more towards a Constitutional Monarchy, with the Emperor being a figure head, which he always was, while the people elected candidates who they thought would be best to lead. It was new, but the idea was catching on.

The Shinsengumi was the top enforcer of the law in Edo, with their white-clad counterparts moving to Kyoto to serve under the Emperor. To everyone's surprise, Katsura became Chief Adviser to Matsudaira.

To no one's surprise save for Gintoki's, he now had the dubious honor of being the "Leader" of Kabuki-Cho, meaning he made most of the important decisions. Close by neighborhoods had merged into Kabuki-Cho as well, making it look less like the land of outlaws and more into a civilized town.

Gintoki thinks that because so many new people are taking up residence in their town, he should call it Shinjuku, the place of new lodging. It fits he thinks. Maybe he'll bring it up in the next Edo Council meeting.

But here he is now, a respected member of society, pacing back and forth, eagerly anticipating two arrivals.

It had been a year since both of them had left. Shinpachi went to go train with warrior monks in the north while Kagura had gone on a space adventure with her (mostly) reformed brother and their father.

He doesn't admit it, but he's slightly jealous that Kamui and that baldy had taken Kagura away from him, even though this was what she had wanted to do for a long time.

He had missed both of their birthdays. Shinpachi would be a full fledged adult now, and Kagura would be sixteen.

Time went by so quickly (when the author wanted to do a mandatory time skip).

It's just been him and Sadaharu now, and both of them want the rest of their family to come home as soon as they can.

"Waiting for someone?"

He glances to his side and sees an elderly woman with snow white hair and a walking stick standing next to him, a benevolent smile on her wrinkled face. His gentlemanly instincts kick in and he escorts her to an open seat.

"Thank you." She says, her eyes twinkling. "What a kind young man you are."

He holds back a snort. He's not that young anymore, closer to thirty than twenty at this point, nor is he particularly kind either. But he'll humor the lady.

"I'm just here, picking up some brats who are late." His words and the smile on his face don't match. The old woman sees this, but does not say anything.

"Me too." She winks at him, looking younger and more vibrant. "Kids are a hassle."

"Hmm." Gintoki agrees with her, while privately thinking that they're also his greatest blessing.

"GIN-CHAN!" Comes the familiar yell of a certain red-headed girl. Whirling around in excitement, he sees a young woman in place of the maturing Kagura that had left him a year back. She's filled out, especially in the chest department, but all he can see is her tears of happiness and she waves at him from the see-through customs line. The man who is trying to stamp her forms looks annoyed, but she couldn't care less.

"GIN-SAN!" Another achingly familiar voice tops the buzz of the terminal. Gintoki laughs as he takes a look at Shinpachi who is almost sprinting towards him. The boy, now a man, has definitely gotten taller, his voice deeper, and was that a five o'clock shadow he spied?

Before Gin can say anything, he's suddenly thrown backwards a good seven feet as two blurs crash into him, sending him straight into a marble pillar. The people around them gawk as the marble cracks, but none of them notice, too lost in their own happiness to care.

"I missed you!" Kagura sobs into his shirt, blowing her nose into his sleeve. He grimaces, but figures that it's something he's going to have to get used to again.

"Me too!" Shinpachi helps the older man to his feet, and neither of them miss the fact that Shinpachi is only a few inches shorter than Gintoki.

Gintoki pretends that he didn't see Sofa-kun hastily leave the area and mingle with the civilians outside. Kagura is still a minor, and she won't be dating any sadists until Gintoki was ready for her to. He didn't want to become a grandfather before his thirtieth birthday after all.

He also disregards the multitudes of Welcome Back! banners that Katsura is holding up with Kondo pressed up against the glass and Hijikata looking at the two idiots with exasperation. Right now, his two favorite people in the world are where they belong, and that's all that matters.

The old lady hobbles up to him, and he ruefully shakes some stray pieces of marble out of his hair.

"I take it these are your children?" She asks, gesturing to the kids with her cane.

Gintoki snorts and pulls both his brats towards him, making sure that their secure under his arms. He ruffles their hair when both of them tense, almost sensing their anticipation to his response.

Smiling wider than he ever had before, he nods decisively and bumps their heads together.

"They're mine."

Omake: And one time they called him...

"Calling you my earth father is too much work." Kagura muses as the trio climb up to their apartment. Otose has an entire party set up for them which had just ended with half the Shinsengumi starting a brawl and the other half being knocked unconscious by Tama and her trusty mop.

"Oh?" Gintoki unlocks their front door, chuckling when the two rush in and nearly glomp Sadaharu to death.

"Yeah." Kagura stands up and cocks her head up at him. "Earth father, please let me have another serving of rice. Or earth father, give me more money. Or earth father, health me!" She quips. "It's not practical!"

"It's help me, not health me." Gintoki grumbles. "How many times do we-"

"So I was thinking of something simple." Kagura interrupts him.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Gintoki murmurs, gesturing for them to sit down. "I...love you like a parent would." He admits, choking on the L world slightly. "But that doesn't mean I'm expecting anything from you."

"But you should." Shinpachi says seriously even though his eyes are suspiciously red. "Because if you love us like a parent, then we're expecting a hell of a lot from you."

"Like a steady allowance." Kagura pouts.

"And a balanced diet." Shinpachi adds. "Eggs over rice and strawberry cake is not an acceptable form of breakfast."

Gintoki raises a brow, but doesn't say anything.

"And you have to praise us!" Kagura cries eagerly. "Like, all the time!"

"Which means I have to actually act responsible and stop you from doing stupid things too." Gintoki retorts, smirking at Kagura's crestfallen face.

"And we get to learn about your past." Shinpachi finishes quietly, staring at Gintoki intently. "All of it."

"Fair enough." Gintoki nods easily, mentally snapshotting their surprised expressions. "It's stupid to hide stuff from you guys now."

When their smiles are bright enough to get rid of any lingering darkness around him, he knows that he's at peace with himself.

"And you have to give us a mom!" Kagura screams in excitement. She glances at Shinpachi with a glint in her eye that he knows all too well. "We have to set you up on dates with every single woman!"

"Except Catherine-san." Shinpachi shudders. "Or my sister."

"Agreed." The samurai shakes his head in amusement. If he was a few years younger, he would have fought tooth and nail to stop Kagura's plan. But he had been alone long enough. If those kids actually approved of someone, then they must be a top-notch woman.

"So what should we call you?" Kagura settles down next to Gintoki, resting her head in the crook of his arm. Shinpachi mimics her movement on the older samurai's other side, relishing the familiar feeling of comfort that he had missed over the past year.

"Whatever you want." Gintoki sighs. "Whatever you want."

The next day, Otose needs help getting the hungover idiots out of her bar. Gintoki is more than happy to throw Souichiro-kun out of the bar, but not before the young man asks Kagura to fight him, which is pretty much the equivalent of asking her out on a date, especially because he thrown in a free meal with his offer.

"Oyaji!" Kagura growls, elbowing Gintoki in the gut. "Fighting and food! They're my two favorite things! Why can't I say yes!"

"Because I said so." Gintoki suppresses the warmth in his heart, opting to glare at the girl sternly. "You're too young to be doing anything with the sadist. Give it another year."

She huffs and takes her anger out on Kondo, who unfortunately finds himself on the roof of the building opposite of the bar.

"Oyaji!" Shinpachi hurries over to him, dragging a surprisingly alert Saitou Shimaru along with him. "Saitou-san just offered me a position in his squad!"

They had discussed this last night, he and Shinpachi, man to man, about what the young adult wanted to do now. Yorozuya Gin-chan still existed, but they didn't do odd jobs anymore, especially since Gintoki had taken over Kabuki-Cho. Either Shinpachi could help him, or he could do what he wanted.

If this is what his kid wants, then who is he to stop him?

Is that okay? I asked Hijikata-san, and he agrees. Saitou's notebook reads.

"Train him well." Gintoki all but demands, his eyes finding the snoring form of the legendary Demonic Vice-Commander.

He's already been trained by the best, I think. Saitou draws an arrow that points at Gintoki. He will be an asset to Edo and the Shinsengumi.

"I know." Gintoki grins at Shinpachi, who smiles back tentatively as if he's surprised that Gintoki agreed so readily. "He can decide his own path. If this is what he wants, then he had better become good enough to become Commander one day."

As Shinpachi shoots him a grateful look, he rests his back against the bar. The kids are back, the bar is lively, the alcohol is good, he couldn't ask for much more in life.

"Oi! Someone get me some strawberry milk!" He bangs his fist on the wood, annoying Otose who is behind the counter.

"Oyaji, huh." Otose takes a look at the kids, snorting when she sees Kagura talking (fighting) with the young Captain.

"Oyaji." Gintoki confirms, feeling oddly light.

"I suppose that makes me a grandmother." Otose taps her chin thoughtfully.

"Please." Gintoki scoffs. "You were born an old hag." He doesn't flinch when she hits him over the head with a fan, too used to her form of affection.

"I guess that makes it official." She mock sighs. "But I don't know how they'll take having Catherine as an Aunt." She points to the cat-eared woman, who is draped over a completely drunk Sasaki Tetsunosuke.

"If they have me as a father, then they'll survive having Catherine as an aunt. But that woman is no sister of mine." Gintoki scowls. "That's from their mother's side."

Otose hums in amusement and pushes his a glass of Dom Perignon.

"I thought I asked for strawberry milk." He raises a brow at the woman who just shrugs.

"You're officially a father now." She says in explanation. "You can't drink something that's meant for five year-olds."

Glancing at Shinpachi, then at Kagura who was STILL fighting (flirting) with that damned Sofa-kun, he raises his glass to each of them and downs it in one gulp.

"Here's to you, my children."

Woah! So this is my first Gintama fic and it practically wrote itself after I watched yesterday's episode and rode the feels train. Nobume and Sasaki's relationship made me realize that Gin loves his brats as if they were his own flesh and blood, even if he doesn't express it all the time.

Gintama shows that you don't have to be related by blood to be a family.