#Shinsuke

[lyykaia]

jumpa fans🤭

my piece for @haikyuuidolzine 🌟

[haikyu-mp4]

“Your back cracks like an ice tray every time you get out of that grandpa chair of yours, so please for the love of all things nice, hire some help!�� Aran scolded, regretting it quickly when Kita hit him with a cold stare that sent chills down his back.

“I’m perfectly fine doing this on my own, thank you,” Kita answered calmly. His friend made a face, knowing he wouldn’t win this fight anyway, and let the topic go so they could watch the volleyball game as they planned.

Fast forward about two weeks and it’s time for the local market to start up. There was news of a new neighbour moving to town, looking for some work to get away from city life. Kita sure hoped you found something, and he wished he could be of help but unfortunately...

Oh…

Kita stopped the second he entered the market, carrying medium-sized bags of rice that he knew the ladies liked to buy. His eyes had caught something much more interesting than the stands. Namely, you.

You were so gorgeous, dressed in the cutest clothes that reminded him of what would pass as cottage core from what he had seen on Instagram when he checked it last month. Just as he was staring, you seemed to notice him as well, waving eagerly.

Instinctively, and a little stupidly, he dropped the sack of rice from one arm to wave, only to startle as the sack hit the ground. He rushed to pick it back up, blushing as your laughter rang and notified him of you moving closer.

Kindly, you tried to take one from him to carry but he assured you there was no need. “That’s just fine, don’t worry. You’re new in town, right?”

“I am! You don’t happen to need any help on your rice farm, Shinsuke?” He was about to ask how you knew his name, only to spot his grandmother standing over by his booth with a clever smile.

Kita shook his head and chuckled, looking back at you fondly. “Maybe I could use an extra set of hands.”

So when Aran visited next, you can imagine his surprise in seeing you wielding Kita’s equipment as you cared for the rice paddies, the farmer himself watching you with soft eyes.

PART 2

masterlist

[moontraumm]

Fast doodle of Kita Shinsuke ~

[gintamayorozuya]

NEW ILLUSTRATION

[wellitseugi]

Kita's love language is to give and to receive presents. He will shower you with gifts. They will change in the same tempo as your relationship. In the beginning, it will be cute mini-letters with, maybe, some of your favourite snacks. In the end? He will travel with you to Italy, France, Spain, or any other country, and, believe me, every single day will be filled with heartwarming notes on photocards of you and him — both alone and together.

Kita also likes creating something in a surprising way. But first, he wants to be sure that you will like his present. At that point, he will transform into a true spy... He will discover your wishlists in the slyest way possible. Getting along with your parents? Easily. Starting a quick conversation with your best friend about you and your dreams? Huh, it's nothing to him.

[cicadadust]

Second cloud study! This time with Kamui and Takasugi Shinsuke! Let's go villain gang! But ahh, one day I hope to achieve clouds like the huge ones in wild west paintings

[seiwas]

for your ask! kita and farmers market au where he has a little stand and sells his rice :)

heids!! thanks for playing with me 🥺 this is an adorable au!! shoutout to @mieiri for helping me find pics 🥹

kita + farmers market au

kita joins the farmer’s market on every other sunday of the month.

his rice stall is quaint, barely even a full stall if he’s considering the technicalities. the display on his table consists of baskets of rice, all in varying grains and types, along with a few spices from akane-san, the middle-aged lady he agreed to partner with to help her cut booth costs.

it’s a good partnership, he thinks—he’s learned a fair bit about spiced rice.

business today is as usual: slow in the early morning, but bustling once it reaches 8:30 a.m.; he’s become familiar with the locals just as much as they trust him and the quality of his rice. and everything is as it usually is, except—

“hello,” you approach his booth, your smile a little shy as you gather what to say.

akane-san glances from the side.

in your hands lie two jars of jam, one a deep purple, and the other a bright orange.

he tilts his head slightly to acknowledge you, “good morning.”

you offer the jars of jam while chuckling nervously, “we’re neighbours,” you gesture towards the booth beside his, “this is my first time here, so…”

akane-san rises from her seat, smiling at you graciously, “those look delicious, my dear. you made them yourself?”

you look at her, flustered as you nod. akane-san nudges kita closer, his feet nearly stepping over yours as he inches forward.

“this is very kind of you, thank you,” kita offers his palms for you to place the glass jars on. akane-san reaches for the purple one and pops it open, the scent of wild berries filling the space between you.

she hums, long and delighted. kita smiles softly, “welcome to the market. i’m sure your jams will be a hit.”

.

it’s your sixth farmer’s market now, the fourth one you’ve spent as kita’s stall neighbour. and it’s been nice, having your company around, he thinks.

you are sweet, just as the jams you make are, and you never fail to give him a jar or two before selling even starts.

in exchange, he gives you rice, different grains and different types; he learns about your cooking schedule, and what you intend to cook for the rest of the week, just so he can give you the correct ones.

akane-san tells him that he should ask you out.

“you smile a lot around her,” she mumbles to him as you walk back to your booth. you’d just finished grabbing some lunch with kita during your break.

“it would be rude to frown, akane-san,” he settles back behind the display, hiding his smile.

she tuts, jokingly hitting him on the arm, “don’t be all smart ass with me.”

kita laughs, its sound echoing down to your booth. you turn to his direction upon hearing it and end up locking eyes. much to his surprise, he doesn’t turn away, and instead settles into giving you a smile.

it’s not like he denied what akane-san said anyway.

.

something is different the day kita walks up to your booth with a carton of eggs in his hands instead of rice.

(you’d mentioned something about wanting to try your hand at a quiche—that must be the reason why, you tell yourself).

he stands in front of your booth, shirt tucked in a little more properly than it normally is, and hands over the carton.

“fresh from the farm,” he starts, “thought i’d bring you some.”

“you didn’t have to,” you reach for it gently, your fingertips grazing the dips between his knuckles as you lower your head slightly.

“thank you for your sponsorship,” you add on, teasingly, “i’ll have to let you try the quiche now, once i make it.”

he laughs, waiting as you take your time opening the carton.

and when you do, the look on your face makes him wish he captured the moment. maybe with that polaroid camera atsumu gifted him last christmas.

inside the carton of eggs is a small cluster of flowers, handpicked (you can tell) and joined together by knotted grass.

(it’s sweet, you think, that there are even a few stems of a rice plant in the mix.)

the expression on your face is a mixture of confusion and surprise, and kita has never been one to be flustered or nervous for anything, but—

“i,” he clears his throat, “have been meaning to ask, actually,” another cough. your stare shoots straight into his nerves.

“would—“ you begin.

“would—“ he manages to say at the same time.

you both giggle, and he clears his throat again, reaching his hand out, “sorry, please go first.”

(the sentence forms itself in your mind, and you stare at the flowers again, a glimpse of courage, before you speak—)

“would you want to make some quiche with me?”

and kita smiles. is ‘no’ even an answer to anything you ask?

[wonderoustime]

they say "chivalry is dead" but how could it be when kita is alive?

trained by his granny from a young age, kita has been raised as the man to defeat all men in regard to classiness.

he pulls your chair out for you not out of obligation, but with a deep-rooted respect for your presence. his genuine feelings pour out of his heart through his mouth as he compliments you on your work, your personality and your personal style, taking into account your likes and dislikes so he can always gift you things that match up with your interests and things that you've always wanted to give a try but have never uttered a word about aloud.

the very essence of chivalry resides in the way he always ensures to walk on the side of traffic and the way he holds doors open for not just you, but for anyone behind you. it's in the way he always quickly jogs up to an old person and helps them hold their bags or cross the road, the way he quickly offers his seat to anyone in need, the way he makes everyone he talks to feel heard in a way irreplicable by anyone else. it blooms just like the small bouquet of flowers he hands you, permeates the senses similar to the scent of the delicious sweet he gifts your family and shines bright like the stars in the sky as he carries a tipsy you home from the bar.

it's the cardigan cure for the september storm.

[hotmamafortnite]

Drawn-/inspired scenes from @suguwu’s “lover be good to me” fanfic . So beautifully written and well made !! Go read it, you won’t regret it !!! (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Last thing I expected was a fanfiction, I read at 2am on a school night, to pull me out from a 5 month artblock, but here we are !!! ( •́‿•̀ ;)

[steel-chain]

WWE Live, March 2025

[nunuwinterlight]

Jp loves Dinosaurs

[scorched-cipher]

Okay, so I got a problem. That Mouthwash: Space Tragedy game I have been shitposting about on and off has taken residence in my mind and now I keep adding story elements onto it. This could have been really cool if the people who made the mobile game took their time to craft a good story. I’ll put a cut here since this is getting a bit long. Prepare yourself

Directly after I made the Shinsuke shitpost, I recognized that the Shinsuke clones were probably borne out of the process of mitosis seeing as they are all identical, which would be quite horrifying to see within a grown human being. (Ignore the fact that the developer probably made this choice because they didn’t want to animate all those characters as zombies lol) However, though the story of the initial game chalks this all up to the mouthwash making him go mad, it doesn’t explain the specifics as to why there are more than one zombie or why the mouthwash is so bad. I have decided that the zombie problem, which is indeed cause by something within the mouthwash Shinsuke consumed, needed to have a good enough catalyst for a human to undergo mitosis since it is a highly unnatural thing to do for a near full grown human man.

To which I say:

This gives us an actual reason as to why Captain crashed the ship. Perhaps he knew that the mouthwash (most likely intentionally, as Nurse mentioned that the ‘other chemicals’ listed on the mouthwash ingredients list were dangerous) was infected with microscopic ‘aliens’ that can infect a host and foster the ability for mitosis, similar to that of a parasite. This may also explain why Shinsuke’s face is so weird and changes. His skin is stretching as his organs replicate and prepare to split off like a worse version of an amoeba.

See exhibits A and B below, a snapshot of before and after the parasites infected him:

(Do forgive me for the quality of the pictures; these are some of the only ones I got on my first playthrough and now there’s an ad bar at the top whenever I play a new game, so these are the best I’m gonna get)

These seem to be two separate models, if I’m seeing it correctly. The second guy looks… wrong. Saying that he’s the same Shinsuke as before would be a stretch. The face models are completely different, and the jacket in exhibit B has actual rendered folds that extend messily from his torso. He looks disheveled. Immediately, despite the low polygons, we should recognize that something might be wrong.

Note how oddly his neck looks in exhibit B. (Could be the shitty model and I’m reaching, but I’m having fun so. lol) It seems to be thicker towards the top, moving towards his brain. Perhaps his head is swelling a bit from the aliens/parasites. Also, note how his original features are somehow smoothed out and drawn closer in exhibit B compared to that of A. It’s like his head had grown bigger and relocated a lot of his features towards the middle of his face. He even looks a bit paler, unless that is my flashlight and the general lighting of the scene talking.

here’s another angle. It could definitely just be the lighting making me think he looks sickly. But he definitely looks bloated like an amoeba ready to split in half. Could argue that his skin is starting to pull away as well.

That guy was sick even before the mouthwash was opened. Maybe he was already in contact with it beforehand like Captain. Who knows? The pacing in the game is kind of shite, so maybe this was unintentional.

Anyways, that’s my take on Mouthwash: Space Tragedy as a story. I don’t think this really fixes it much, but it’s fun for me to think about Shinsuke and Captain maybe finding out that there are aliens in their cargo together and forming a pact to keep everyone from getting back to earth and infecting everyone with it. Captain obviously doesn’t crash the ship well enough and Shinsuke doesn’t end up killing Jim-Copilot, who brings Captain to the escape pod, sending the equivalent of an alien plague back to earth. Fun times!

[castlewyvern]

[chloewatcheswrestling]

Wrestling Love Letters

Intrigue and Mastery: A Traditional Japanese Villain Emerges

Shinsuke Nakamura, the former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a man who's won the prestigious 2011 G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup, was also the founding member of the stable 'Chaos' (currently led by Kazuchika Okada), cemented his status as a true wrestling icon long ago. The King of Strong Style's journey through the world of professional wrestling has been nothing short of remarkable but, up until recently, he's been cruising along living the 'future hall of famer' life.

Shinsuke has always been able to capture the hearts of fans with his charismatic presence. Whether it's his infectious smile, his captivating entrance music that gets the crowd singing, or his unique in-ring style, Nakamura has always been a fan favourite. However, in recent times, it felt like something was missing. It seemed as though we hadn't seen a certain side of Shinsuke, and he was merely showing up to give us his best professional babyface performance without being a viable contender for a title or someone we eagerly anticipated seeing at the top of the card.

A contributing factor to this feeling was WWE's insistence on having Nakamura communicate primarily in English, limiting his ability to cut compelling promos. Despite this, he compensated adeptly with his eccentric and exaggerated facial expressions, which effectively conveyed his emotions when the scripts fell short. This issue isn't unique to Nakamura; it extends to other Japanese wrestlers, including Asuka and Iyo Sky, who also both occupy prominent positions on the roster and the women's title scene.

Then came the game-changing moment - Nakamura's heel turn on Monday Night Raw (August 7th, 2023) and subsequent promo the following week. The promo involved a clever twist: Nakamura initially speaking in English, pausing to contemplate his next words, only to dismiss the need for understanding from the crowd or his opponent and seamlessly transitioning to Japanese. It was as if the man brimming with charm had unearthed an entirely new reservoir of charisma.

For someone who has tried and failed to learn Japanese, witnessing Nakamura speak his native language with such animation was truly enchanting. It was as if he'd finally been allowed to show his true self and was running with that opportunity. His animated facial expressions, body language and impassioned delivery made it almost feel as though you comprehended his words, even if you couldn't speak a word of Japanese. This change demonstrated that the WWE audience don't always require spoon-fed storylines to grasp a narrative.

Shinsuke complimented his change in character with a slight tweak in his appearance, now wearing dark kimono-inspired outfits, evoking the classic Japanese villain archetype. This archetype typically pits the villain against a heroic protagonist, in this case, the baby face Seth Rollins. The hero-villain dynamic, central to many Japanese narratives like samurai epics and martial arts tales, usually unfolds with the villain displaying a complex relationship with the concept of honour and quite often they themselves were once a beloved hero. I initially questioned why it had taken so long for WWE to pull the trigger on this heel turn but soon realised that it may not have been as effective if acted on sooner.

Nakamura's decision to whisper a cryptic threat to Seth Rollins was a genius move to get the audience speculating what could have possibly been said (a wrestling storytelling technique reminiscent of Undertaker whispering to Bray Wyatt). And later revealing his knowledge of Seth's persistent back issues, ignited their feud brilliantly and played into the traditional Japanese villain traits of intelligence, cunning and manipulation. Following Payback 2023, the challenge was maintaining the momentum of this rivalry. Nakamura, adopting the quintessential villain role, goaded Seth to the point of Seth demanding a rematch, only for Nakamura to deny his request until he deemed the time is right. The calculated manipulation, marked by meticulous planning and tactics, exemplifies Nakamura's mastery of this character.

I'm confident I'm not alone in backing Shinsuke in this ongoing feud with Seth Rollins, I would love to see him have a heel run with the title, orchestrating the fate of the baby faces on the roster like a master puppeteer. While Rollins is a safe pair of hands, I'd like to see him drop down the card and confront the challenge of having to claw his way back up. This journey could infuse his character with a newfound intensity, potentially sowing the seed for a compelling character transformation. Nakamura has undoubtedly regained his cool factor, and it's high time for WWE to capitalise on this resurgence and explore fresh storytelling avenues.

With pins, submissions, and a whole lot of heart, Chloe xoxo

13.09.2023

[sakukaguxxi]

Yakult and Tobacco | Gintama

Word count: 3.4k

C/W’s: none really except for a tiny bit of blood

Summary: a story about what happens to Takasugi and the Kiheitai after ch. 704

a/n: This is my first time writing for Gintama, and I wanted to do something like this for a while but didn’t think I was a good enough story writer. But I really felt passionate about this topic and tried my best. I was inspired by various ideas from fandom and combined with my own random ideas. I hope this isn’t too bad. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

______

The long search hadn’t been for nothing. It wasn’t a pipe dream, it wasn't a dead end. This couldn’t be a coincidence. After investigating the dragon holes for several months, Matako finally found him. 

She was overcome with tears of joy and relief as she held the reborn Takasugi in her arms. The local villagers who had gathered around upon getting word of a mysterious baby appearing in the dragon hole looked on in mild confusion. What does this baby mean to this woman? they must have thought. Was it really born from the dragon hole or just abandoned? Is it the divine wrath of Ryujin-sama?

Matako didn’t really care how this scene looked to anyone else at that moment. It was just so personal. Feeling like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders finally, she decided she was ready to leave after she finished crying and wiped away her tears. Wherever home was, they could now return.

Matako turned to the crowd. “I will take this child,” she announced.

Nobody else was racing to volunteer, but there were a few murmurs among the crowd. Then one man pointed at the infant, shouting, “This could be an attack by the Dragon Vein God! You shouldn’t keep it!”

“I can handle this,” she responded firmly. “You don’t know the whole story, because this is actually my friend who I’ve been looking for, and now he’s been revived. It probably sounds crazy, but even if you don’t believe me, I have to do this.”

Now that she found Shinsuke, it was time to embark on the journey to regroup with Takechi. Some villagers were actually kind enough to help her by lending her some baby supplies and giving her directions, even if they didn’t fully understand the background. 

……

Matako met Takechi at a small house on the outskirts of Edo that the Kiheitai had used as a hideout. It would make a decent place for someone who wanted some privacy away from the city. There was a dirt path leading to it with a hedge running along one side.

When Matako arrived at the house, Takasugi still looked like a baby. She and Takechi decided they would take care of him together. The two Kiheitai members smiled down at the infant. Takechi, normally less sentimental, was still happy Takasugi had been found. He was also proud that after being told there wasn’t the slightest chance of Takasugi being resurrected like Utsuro, their intuition had actually worked out in their favor.

“The dark purple hair is definitely the same,” Henpeita observed. 

“And now he has two functioning eyes again,” Matako added. She gazed at the baby, whose eyes were open and was looking up at the two of them. “I wonder if he recognizes us yet even in this state…”

Henpeita put a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t know yet, so you shouldn’t worry right now.”

……

Takasugi had reached a new stage of growth within a couple days of arriving at the hideout, looking around preschool age now. Despite hearing what happened to the reborn Utsuro from Gintoki and knowing what altana was capable of, Matako and Henpeita were still amazed to witness Takasugi’s growth first-hand. It reminded them of Princess Kaguya. Altana truly was a powerful energy.

Henpeita went and bought more clothing for Takasugi in a couple different sizes since they didn’t know when his next growth spurt would be. As the strategist of the Kiheitai, he was trying to think ahead. He also bought Yakult, which Takasugi had gone absolutely nuts for in the past. He thought it might even help spur on his memories.

There weren’t many other people in the close-by area to worry about, but Matako felt a sense of protectiveness towards Takasugi during this sensitive time. She didn’t want people to think he was a monster if they noticed his fast growth. She was glad she’d found him when she did instead of him falling into the wrong hands. For the time being, he had to stay near the house at least.

The interesting thing about Shinsuke growing up at an accelerated rate was that he still couldn’t speak, but seemed to understand basic communication in a way. He also easily regained his ability to do certain things such as walking and using chopsticks with only a little instruction if any. He mostly followed the other two around quietly like a puppy and went with the flow of whatever they were doing. Being like a little kid, he could still get into mischief. Gintoki had mentioned that the reborn Shouyou started speaking fully when his memories were unlocked. However, Matako didn’t know if or when Takasugi would regain his memories and return to his old self. 

……

On the second night since Takasugi’s new growth, Matako rolled to her side and smiled softly at him as they were about to go to sleep. They slept in the same room on their own futons since he had his first growth spurt out of babyhood. But Shinsuke was given the one regular-sized blanket in the house. Takechi hadn’t gotten around to shopping for more of those yet. 

For the first time since being reborn, Shinsuke had a dream of various people crying or looking like they’re about to cry. There was the blonde-haired woman called Matako, a man with curly silvery-blue hair, and another man with long light brown hair. In the dream, Shinsuke thought, No… please don’t cry, everyone… 

Shinsuke woke up again early in the morning and turned toward Matako out of curiosity and instinct. She was still asleep but looked cold and exposed from not having a decent blanket. Despite still being tired, he felt an urge to help her, so he dragged his blanket across the room and covered her. Then he laid down next to her on top of the blanket and pulled one edge over himself.

Like a lot of dreams, most of the contents of Shinsuke’s had faded from his mind within a few minutes of being awake, leaving only vague bits and pieces. The details of most of the people had become blurrier, and he wasn’t aware yet that it was based on real experience anyway. 

A few hours later, Takechi stepped in the doorway to the others’ bedroom, asking, “Matako, are you awake yet?”. He had returned from a short visit to the city and was surprised to see the little Takasugi sleeping next to her on top of the blanket. 

Memories of the first time Takechi officially met Matako flashed in his mind: despite the Bakufu confiscating her gun, she did whatever she could to try to save the imprisoned Jouishishi, such as threatening Takechi with a dagger to the back. More important to her than Takasugi acknowledging her or letting her join him was preventing his death, because she believed the country needed him. No doubt, being saved by him personally had also cemented her loyalty and belief that he had a good heart. Takechi had handed back her gun and told her she would do well to take revenge herself. He recalled her surprised face at the end of the battle when Shinsuke simply said, “Let’s go,” letting her know she was included.

I never thought I’d see them as roommates, Henpeita thought.

……

Later the same day, Gintoki was walking towards the Kiheitai hideout when he came upon a little boy standing on the path. Despite looking young, Gintoki could recognize that face anywhere, having grown up with him. Shinsuke stared up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

“So we meet again, huh?” Gintoki stated calmly, his eyes at half-mast.

Meanwhile, Matako was in the house, expecting Gintoki any minute. The Kiheitai had contacted all of Shinsuke’s old friends, and Gintoki was the first who was able to visit. She was suddenly alerted to a child whining, “Let me go! Put me down!” followed by a familiar male voice saying, “Excuse me.” She went into the genkan to see Gintoki holding Shinsuke under his arm

“Let me go!” Shinsuke repeated, trying to wriggle free.

“Is this your kid?” Gintoki asked sarcastically. “He made an impudent face, and I knew right away.” He finally released the boy from his hold.

As Shinsuke went forward to climb over the porch step, kicking his sandals off behind him, Matako grumbled, “...It’s obvious.” Shinsuke dashed past her into the house. “Come in,” she offered to Gintoki.

……

After setting Shinsuke up with a game on the other side of the room, Matako and Gintoki sat across from each other with their own cup of tea. Gintoki eyed him for a bit before focusing on Matako. “How has taking care of him been so far?” he asked.

“It’s been relatively good. It’s not like I have much experience taking care of babies or little kids, but this isn’t a regular situation. Takechi-senpai has also been a big help, I hate to admit…”

“When did he start talking, anyway? He still seems pretty quiet otherwise…”

Matako frowned slightly. “Just today when you showed up carrying him… He never said anything before, so I guess this is progress. I thought you meeting him could change things…”

“Well, yes, I am very influential,” Gintoki joked. “I’m not the main character of my own series for nothing.”

Matako looked downcast, so Gintoki snapped back into seriousness, waiting for her to continue. “I can’t help but compare your situation with Shouyou to ours,” she explained. “I want Shinsuke-sama to be happy no matter what happens, but deep down my hope is he’ll regain his memories and return to being the person we know and love. Am I selfish for this? Would he be better off starting a different life and forgetting Shouka Sonjuku, the Joui War, the Kiheitai, everything?” Her eyes stung with tears. “I won’t abandon him, but I can’t deny there’s still a void from losing a loved one. Not only could we not prevent it, we weren’t there for him during that time. We had no idea he was dying. I thought we were doing the right thing by giving him some space, but it didn't work out for us in the end. We shouldn’t have left him alone…”

Suddenly, Takasugi scurried up next to Matako to hold her hand. He noticed her looking and sounding like she might cry and wanted to comfort her somehow. Matako was surprised by his action, but it made her smile. “Don’t worry, I’m alright,” she reassured him, giving him a one-armed hug. He stood back for a few seconds like he wasn’t sure, then returned to his area.

Gintoki drank more tea with a pensive expression. “You don’t know this, but I actually had amnesia once from a car accident and lost my identity,” he shared. “Yeah, I became a productive member of society and didn’t remember bad memories from my past, but it wasn’t me. My friends struggled to get me back, and while it didn’t happen right away and I left them to start a new life, they still came to get me eventually. So the way you feel is natural, Matako-san. And although I can’t make any guarantees and can only go by my one experience, I’d say you shouldn’t give up… Just be honest with him.”

……

Matako saw Gintoki off at the entrance when it was time to go. “Thank you again for coming, Shiroyasha,” she said. 

“No problem,” Gintoki replied. “And like I said, I’ll also see what else I can do. I’ll talk to Zura and Tatsuma about it too. So, see you guys later.”

“See ya.” That came from Shinsuke, who had come out to the front. Matako and Gintoki were still a little stunned to hear him speak again at all, but Matako did a double take because his yukata was now up to his knees. He definitely looked taller than he was even less than twenty minutes ago! Now he had an elementary school-age appearance. 

Gintoki also noticed and smirked. “Take care now,” he said.

On his way down the path, Gintoki encountered Takechi coming from the opposite direction with a bag in hand. 

“Were you in a hurry?” Takechi asked, stopping.

“I had some barley tea and we talked for a bit,” Gintoki replied. As he walked past Takechi, he continued, “I don’t know what’ll end up happening, but… he definitely doesn’t need diapers anymore,” and waved back.

……

Gintoki, Katsura, and Sakamoto met at a local restaurant and sat at a booth together, with Gintoki on one side and the other two across. He was catching them up on his visit to the Kiheitai from the day before.

“I admit that I was initially skeptical and didn’t think it was possible for him to be resurrected,” Katsura said. “I admit it, I was wrong.”

“Aren’t you glad things are starting to work out, though?” Sakamoto said. 

“Yeah, but there’s still the issue of him getting his memories back, which the Kiheitai care a lot about,” Gintoki pointed out. “Matako-san seemed upset when I talked to her. I think we should all do our best to help in some way. Takasugi was our friend too, so we want him to get his memories back, right?”

Sakamoto turned to Katsura with a smile and said, “Well, since it’s our turn to visit now, let’s go together. We should do it soon this week.”

“Let’s bring presents,” Katsura suggested excitedly. 

……

After Gintoki left the Kiheitai hideout, Takasugi didn’t try to speak the rest of that day or into the next. Matako and Takechi weren’t sure why, but hypothesized maybe his mind was still settling in and it was part of his development. They asked him at one point if he could remember his past, but he shook his head in confusion. So they tried to tell him some more about his background, and he seemed to be listening, but his reaction was calm, almost unreadable.

It wasn’t until after going to bed that more peculiar things happened once again. Takasugi had another dream where he was standing by a river at night with fireworks going off. It was a beautiful sight, and he watched in awe as different colors and even shapes soared across the sky. There were other people around him watching, including three people right in front of him. Then those three people turned around and smiled at him. There was Matako, Takechi, and a green-haired man wearing sunglasses… Bansai. By the way they were looking at him, it seemed like they were happy he was having a good time and enjoyed being with him. 

The scenery changed somehow seamlessly to a man standing in front of a nondescript background. He had long, light brown hair and wore gray and beige clothing, with his arms crossed and tucked into the opposite sleeves of his haori. He was smiling and had a strong aura like a wise and kind person. He said, I’m proud of you, Shinsuke, so don’t give up. 

Shouyou-sensei? Shinsuke thought as the recognition completely dawned on him.

Takasugi didn’t get to hear a response as he woke up soon after that in the morning. Not only had he grown to adult size overnight, he now finally had a realization about himself. That dream had made everything clear. 

He sat up cross-legged, the blanket falling over his lap. Since he grew a lot over night, his yukata had opened up and became more like a shirt, revealing his bare torso and obviously not long enough anymore to cover his bottom half if not for the blanket. 

Matako groaned slightly as she also started to wake up. She tilted her head to look at Takasugi and was met with the grown version of him staring back at her with his mouth slightly agape.

“Wha- Huh?!” Matako gasped, sitting up and pulling her blanket further over her chest out of reflex. She honestly hadn’t expected to wake up that morning and suddenly see Takasugi look basically like the person she’d known for 12 years. Out of awkwardness, she shifted her position to slightly face away from him while her eyes were still pointed his way. She trembled a little as she reached to push some hair out of her face. 

Takasugi put his hand over his left eye. “Hey… It’s me,” he finally said.

In a flash, Matako went forward to kneel in front of him as he lowered his hand. She looked up right into his eyes. “You can see, can’t you?” she asked with concern. 

Takasugi looked down and took in her expression fully, which conveyed intense emotion. “...Yes, I can see …” he answered. “It’s just that I only noticed now that I got it back…”

“How do you feel now?” 

“I’m still trying to process everything and let the fact that this is real settle in… But I know how and why I came back and accept it. On that day, Shouyou-sensei actually told me his plan to sacrifice himself by using up all the altana in his body to cancel out the terminal’s altana. And he was distraught at the time because he didn’t think he could save me as well…” He raised one side of his mouth in a half smile. “I feel like Sensei was by my side until you came to pick me up again. And he still is here in a way…” 

Takasugi took a scan around the room, then continued, “And even before I got my memories back, I’ve seen over the past couple weeks how you and Takechi have taken care of and protected me, so I’m also grateful to you. Also importantly, I’ve wanted to say I’m sorry for leaving the Kiheitai behind without a word and any hurt caused by my absence. I couldn’t tell you what was going on and I didn’t know how much longer I’d have to live or if I’d see you again at all. But thank you for not giving up on me.”

Matako felt her heart swell and couldn’t help herself, leaning forward to give him a big hug. He was momentarily stunned but formed a small smile and reciprocated. “It really was no problem,” Matako said. “You know the Kiheitai will be there for you. And we may not have had the chance to meet your master, but we can’t thank him enough for making this possible...”

……

Once Shinsuke was fully dressed and had gotten his bearings, he said to Takechi when they were outside walking, “Could you hand me your sword? There’s something I want to see…”

Takechi unsheathed his sword and handed it over without a word, his eyes fixed on Shinsuke’s face the whole time.

Shinsuke raised his left hand and carefully pricked the pad of the middle finger. There were some tiny beads of blood, but nothing else happened. After sucking the blood off his finger, he resumed, “I actually don’t think I had to do that to know I’m still mortal, but I just felt like making a point for myself.” He gave Takechi back his sword.

As Takechi put it away, he responded in an amused tone, “I figured that’s why you wanted it.”

Shinsuke chuckled. “I wanna get a new sword sometime soon, though. It doesn’t feel right not having something at my waist. And I might need it anyway if the Kiheitai has plans.”

……

Later that day, Katsura and Sakamoto came over. “Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote,” Katsura told Matako as they stood at the genkan with him in front of Sakamoto. He held up a paper bag. “This is a gift for you, Matako-san. It’s one of those new-fangled robot vacuums.”

“Oh, wow,” Matako remarked.

Katsura stepped a little closer to her like he was giving her some topic secret advice, but said in a louder voice with his finger pointed up, “For the little one’s sake, we need to make sure we take care of dust in even the nooks and crannies…”

“It’s really nice, but why are you so loud right now? And anyway, Shinsuke-sama is already…”

“Oi,” came a baritone voice from inside, which got Sakamoto and Katsura to crane their necks around Matako. She led them forward so they could see in the doorway.

Takasugi was sitting on the floor holding a kiseru. “You guys are as loud as ever,” he said with a grin.

______

a/n: Thanks for reading! Please like and reblog!

[winjjheart]

happy atsukita day 🦊🌾!