Ratings will go up.

Pace yourself, she reprimands herself, the world won't end if you mess this up. How much of that statement is true, she doesn't know, he only repeats what the kind, older woman has told her. With twinkling sea blue eyes and a gentle smile. Or perhaps it was advanced manipulation at play.

She didn't know, she didn't want to know and she didn't want this. She wasn't one of them, those painted faces and lifeless eyes, she would rather die in the hands of the enemy than become one of them. She promised herself that, it was the least she could do for her own self preservation. It was a laughing matter really, to any outsider who would hear of it, her story that is.

Sold at the age of nine due to the poverty the land was suffering because of the war, human nature at its finest, the wretchedness churning a disgusting flavor from her gut to her throat as she bit back tears that threatened to spill. Perhaps not cut out for the world, especially not this one. She won't remember them, the beast of parents, who would sacrifice the daughter and keep the sons because what could a woman do when she had four older brothers each providing something she in her parent's eyes couldn't.

Dwelling deep in her thoughts, she nearly missed the room she was supposed to be in. Now at 16, it was her time to be of some use to the matron. Though not considered natively pretty, she was sought after for having peculiar features not seen amongst the side of Japan she was in, with hair the color of liquid sunshine and eyes blazing a cold amethyst, she was a sight to be seen. But what good would a face do her, if she was only meant to be used up and thrown away. She slid open the paper thin door and slammed it shut forcefully, making the frame shake.

Not being able to keep tears from leaking out her eyes, she turned her head downwards and walked to the far side of the room where she was to perform her duties. She thought the last words bitterly, her body shaking in small quakes as she bit her lips and sat down on the futon laid out for them. The silk feeling cool even while wearing the heavy furisode, she used the back of her hand to wipe her cheek of stray tears. Harden your heart, she told herself, this is your life now, did you think those precious days would be a constant?

"Woah, ar..are you crying?" said a voice to her left, apparently having missed the second presence in the room, she turned her head to the side so fast that a 'cracking' sound was made and she groaned inwardly. A boy/man possibly not much older than her sat holding a small dish in his hand, he also had very peculiar features, messy head of white hair and eyes the color of blood. She was taken aback, she moved a few inches back, as far as she could get from him, her expression morphing to one of distaste.

He continued sipping away at the sake on his dish and looked at her with a bored expression. "What, are you staring at?" she asked in a low voice, her eyes glaring into him. He did the last thing she thought he would do, he smiled. "Nothing, I am just waiting for the courtesan to get here, apparently she is late and some little girl walked into the room by accident." That got to her, making her blood boil for very different reasons. "I am it." she said with gritted teeth.

"You are a she, sheesh lady, learn to speak properly." he drawled, upturning the small flask holding sake, he had drank it all. He got up from his seat and looked at the cabinets, hoping to find more sake. When he found nothing, he came back, rubbing the back of his neck, looking precariously around the room, "say...you wouldn't happen to have more sake, would you?"

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, he was looking for more sake? She got up cautiously and walked past him and over to the door, sliding it open. Out in front, stood another girl, she recognized her as Nishi the new apprentice to one of the higher Geishas. The girl ran over to Tsukuyo excitedly, her charming grey eyes glinting in the low light of the several lit lamps. "Tsukuyo, did it happen?" she asked coyly. Tsukuyo shook her head with a frown, "listen, can you get another flask of sake?" Nishi nodded and sped away, coming back with one a few minutes later with a smile. Handing it over to her, Nishi inquired, "Is he handsome? I heard a few of the girls up front talking about a tall man in white." Tsukuyo didn't answer only looking at the flask in her hands with a frown on her face, "Thank you." she said for politeness sake and slid the door shut behind her.

She walked with cautious steps back over at the room, only to find the man sitting back in his previous spots, staring at the lit lamp. Her presence had alerted him and he turned to look at her, his mouth quirking to a half smile when he saw what she was holding. "Thanks," he said, reaching his hand out to her, to ask for the flask. Side stepping him, she sat back in her previous spot and began pouring the sake on to the dish. The man taken not deterred by the sudden rudeness, took the dish after she was done pouring.

He brought it up to his lips and downed it in one go. Tsukuyo winced and went on to pour another dishful, when he raised his hand as a means of halt. "Thanks, I am good now." His bangs fell into his face and his eyes seemed as bored as they did a few moments ago, she carefully set the flask down and moved closer, her lips tugging down into a frown. She hesitantly put her hand on his chest and tried to untie the armor, she he moved away, "woah, what are you doing?" She glared at him, "what does it look like I am doing?" she went back to untying it. He moved back again and she let out a scoff.

"What, whats wrong now?" she asked impatiently. He looked at her uncertainly, "I am waiting for my courtesan." Tsukuyo felt a vein throb in her temple, "I am her, you idiot." He stared at her, thinking like it was some joke, "you are kidding right, I don't want a bitter faced girl who doesn't know how to smile, CHANGE, I DEMAND A CHANGE!" he began yelling. Her patience, being put to the limit, "Yeah, well I am not very thrilled to jump in bed with a guy who perms his hair!" she said bitterly.

That must have been a sensitive topic, as he looked a bit hurt by her retort. "This is natural!" he said, pointing at his hair, "I didn't choose it and I know it looks ridiculous, but just you wait, after we win the war, I am gonna have enough money for a straight perm." he said glaring at her. She looked at him disbelievingly, "that's your motivation for winning the war?" she shook her head and muttered something under her breath. "Yeah well, we don't all have shonen manga protagonist dreams okay, some of us just want the simple things in life. Like me, I want straight hair and this guy I know he probably wants to be taller but no way in seven hells is that happening." he snickered.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he felt a little restless to get rid of the dim atmosphere. "Hey, what's your name?" he asked, she raised one eye brow and answered grumpily, "Tsukuyo."

"Tsukuyo," he repeated, mulling it over in is head. "Is that your real name?" he asked again, laying back, and looking as ridiculous as ever, half his back being on the floor and the other on the floor. "Yes," she snapped. He held his hands up defensively, "just a question, sheesh." Another ominous silence settles in between them and she is left feeling more awkward than ever. He has already resisted and rejected her advances, what, was she not good enough for him, she thought bitterly. She walked over to futon and settled herself on the plush pillows, his head right by her thigh, he looked up at her from his resting spot. "I am Gintoki, by the way." he said it in a nonchalant manner, his eyes gazing up at her, he looked as if he wanted to ask something but didn't know how to quite phrase it.

"Hey, can I ask you for a favor?" he asked, she tensed up her eyes slowly moving to his own. This is it, she thought, she braced herself for the inevitable, "Can we not do anything, I am really tired." he said sheepishly. Her jaw dropped almost comically. A favor, that was the favor. He got up and sat, so he was on the futon, his eyes darting all around the room and he looked nervous. Tsukuyo did something she thought she wouldn't be doing ever again in her life, she laughed, wholeheartedly, at the naive mannish boy in front of her, who grew increasingly annoyed, his cheeks dusted pink. "What?" he snapped, annoyed at her now. She muffled her laughter with the back of her hand and shook her head, it really was something, that favor of his. After her laughter died down, he only looked at her with knit brows as she prepared the bed for him to sleep in. He took off the armor he had adorned all through out the evening and laid down on his back, the plushness of the futon a welcomed reprieve from sleeping on the ground in uncertain danger.

She smirked, thinking about how this one moment was going to be with her for a long time, as she got up to blow out the lamp. His gaze followed her movements, as she blew out the lamp and placed the small table to the side then walking back to the futon and sitting on the side, leaving a comfortable amount of space between them.

"Why were you crying earlier?" he asked bluntly. She snapped her eyes to his laying figure, the darkness was with the moon light filtering in, and she looked down to her own feet. "This was.." unsure of how to say it or why even say it to him, "It's supposed to be my first time." she mumbled. She only felt his gaze on her, not having the courage to look at him, she continued staring down. "Good god, with an attitude like yours you will never get any customers."

"Good." she said with gritted teeth, her simmering anger back in action. He laughed quietly and got up on his elbows to sit up, "I am joking...Tsukki." he said with a smirk. "It's Tsukuyo," she said automatically and he laughed, "No, I think Tsukki suits you more," and laughed some more, remembering an inside joke or another. He laid back down on his stomach this time, facing her and in the darkness, she felt an odd sense of anticipation, was he going to start something, had he changed his mind, those thoughts ran rampant in her head. He folded his hands in front of him and rested his head on them, "I know this really stupid guy who does that," he said with a distant smile to his face. Tsukuyo looked over at him, feeling a little relief that he was only talking. "He would correct everyone that mispronounced his name, a real idiot. And there is this other guy," he said, his eyes shining like that of a child, "He never gets my name right, always calling me 'Kintoki' but he is a natural idiot." She nodded, "are they your comrades?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded, "they are probably somewhere around here, being dumbasses" he grunted. "Stop being a tsundere, you obviously care for them." she said without thinking, only clamping her mouth shut, when she realized what she said. He glared at her, not seriously though, obviously, "am not!" he said annoyed. "Yes you are." She played back, surprisingly childish game they had going on.

"So what," he said, giving up because it was the inevitable truth. "You are one too." She frowned, "am not." she said plainly, "yeah you are." he countered, getting into the game. "I can tell." She moved closer to him, "how?" she demanded.

He looked taken aback by the small amount of distance that he gulped nervously before continuing, "I just can, okay." She realized how close they were, when she felt his breath on her, her face burning scarlet, she quickly sputtered back and out of the futon giving Gintoki something to tease about. "See, I told you, you like me." he stated smugly. Tsukuyo only shook her head furiously, "do not, I don't like men." Gintoki smirked and moved back to his original position, "well that's unfortunate."

"Huh?" she asked intelligently, Gintoki only smiled at her and shook his head, "well I am beat, so I am just gonna sleep now." Tsukuyo contemplated his words only to be brought out of her trance when she heard labored breathing and a slight snore. Her expression returning to that of her usual stoicism, she got up to leave the room. Stopping short of opening the door, she pondered what the head matron would say if she left the guest alone, it wasn't taboo or anything, but it reflected bad on her, if her guest was sleeping instead of doing, you know.

Turning back on her heels, she walked back to the occupied mattress and sat in her original spot, her eye lids getting heavier at the cozy feeling inside the room. She looked at the man laying there are sleeping with a serene expression on his face and thought back to herself, sitting on the uncomfortable futon, and back at him. Well, he was sleeping, Tsukuyo moved slowly onto the futon, while keeping her eyes on him, careful not to indicate her presence, she sat slowly and laid down her eyes never leaving his. Once she is settled, she releases the breath she didn't know she was holding and turns on her side, facing away from him, lulling into dreamland.

Her eyes crack open, sharply at daybreak taking in the low light filtering in through the cracks of the room, just as it did last night. And she slowly turned to her side to see that it was empty. That had alerted her, she rose up quickly and looked around the room. Not finding anyone else, she got up and walked brusquely over to the door, only to run into Gintoki. "Ooof," he fell back, with her on top of him and his hands around her waist. He looked up at her with blank eyes and his lips tugging down into a frown. She only realized the position they were in when he asked, "Why the hell are you running in the morning?" She jumped off his lap and stood directly two feet away from him and watched as he slowly got up and walked past her.

Her eyes trailed his figure, picking up the armor and fastening it to his chest and legs, and turning back around only to be stopped by Tsukuyo standing in front of him. Her furisode a little more than disheveled, looking like she did more than sleep last night and her blonde hair in disarray. He stared intently at her as she did him, until he broke it to look off to the side, "Well I have to go." he said heaving a sigh, and walking past her again only stopping to look at her from the door, "you coming?" she only followed him wordlessly.

Nobody was really awake yet, his eyes sized up the corridor and stopped at the small room by the exit, before turning to her, "My katana is in there," he said pointing to the room behind him. "The fat lady said I couldn't retrieve yet myself, can you get it out for me?" he asked earnestly. "I can't go in there, Ms. Mako prohibits it," she said with a scowl on her face. Gintoki looked put off by the news and scoffed, "Can't you, I don't know, just sneak in there once? I really need to go, I am already late as it..." he trailed off, looking out the small opening on the door.

Tsukuyo turned to the door and tried sliding it open, knowing that it won't but it did. She looked genuinely surprised and Gintoki's head snapped in that direction, "it opened?" he asked. She nodded before walking inside, he grabbed her wrist, and she looked at him surprised, the touch sending shivers up her arm. "The hilt is golden." he says carefully, "and red." and releases her wrist. She looked at her shaking hand with a frown as she searched around the small store-room, she spotted the katana in an empty pot. Grabbing it, she walked back outside, handing it to him.

He took it from her hand, their hands touching again, the actions deliberate on his part. His gaze intense on her, and hers on the ground, her jaw stiff. He placed the sword against the door and intertwined their hands together before pulling her body flush against his. She looked up at him, his gaze searing into her skin, she closed her own eyes, before opening them again. He wound his hands around her waist, "I am really dumb, aren't I?" he asked quietly. She nodded slowly, as she hesitantly placed both her arms on his shoulder. He let out quiet laughter before pulling her even closer, if that was even possible, until their noses touched. And it was she, who closed the distance between them, slanting her lips on his, not quite sure what to do afterward. He smiled into the chaste kiss and unwound one arm to bring it up and tilt her chin, deepening the kiss. Breaking free only for air and nothing else. "I..I'll come back again." he said unsure if even he believes it and she looks at him blankly, remembering her own purpose, she pushed herself away and backs away from him slowly, watching as he slides the door open and looks behind his back.

Harden you heart she says again to herself, as she watches him leave. This is your life now.

She still found herself wondering, if he would ever come back for her.

AN: Ugh what the fuck did i just write? I don't even know, it turned into a whole different monster. Ugh.