Blood rolled along the dirt path but was quickly washed away by the heavy, down pouring rain. The dark, ominous clouds engulfed the sky, making a vast layer of gray that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Gintoki Sakata internally cursed to the heavens and the earth it drifted over as he looked at the vast expanse of storm clouds that was blurring in and out of his focus to his eyes. He could just barely clutch to the wound in his side— his body was growing too weak. Deciding to accept fate, he gave in, no longer determined to fight to keep his senses up. As the already subtle light started to fade from his eye he felt his body becoming light, as if he was being lifted off the ground.
Finally... he thought to himself. It's about time I get some rest.
---
It was warm and cozy in the room where Gintoki opened his eyes. He squinted, confused by the stiff bed he found himself waking up on "Huh?"
As Gintoki came to his senses, he glanced around the room with tired eyes, noting the plain surroundings that was the small, unfamiliar room.
The sliding Japanese door on the opposite wall then quickly whooshed open.
"Oh, you're finally up!" a cheerful, old man bounced inside.
"Am I... dead? God, heaven looks like shit- well, I guess it must be hell, because of all those things I did. I guess it's not so bad then," Gintoki gave a small shrug, still feeling a stiffness in his upper body.
"Dead?" the old man cut him off with a quizzical flare in his voice "Why, you're not dead, Son, not at all! But you almost were, with that wound in your side and all".
"Wound?" Gintoki looked down to his bare chest, finally noticing the big bandage wrapped around his torso. He also finally noticed the ache in his side, and how it stung every time he moved.
"Yes yes, it was a tough one to stitch up too, but hey, I guess I'm just talented!" the doctor pulled a stool up next to Gintoki's hospital bedside and took a seat "With that, I'd say I'd deserve to know where you got that heavy damage to yourself-" he stopped, glancing at the Shitagi hanging up on the coat rack in the corner of the room.
The Shitagi— which is a Kimono-like attire, but just a bit shorter, and worn by Samurai—once covered in blood, belonged to Gintoki. Also in the corner was a wooden sword that had clearly seen better days.
"I feel I might already know how-" the Doctor continued "and frankly I don't want to be caught up in that business of yours, Samurai".
Gintoki nodded, but not speaking a word in response. Instead, he simply shifted the subject "So, how did I get here Doc? Surly your boney ass is too frail to drag my limp body to this bed".
The Doctor swiftly swung his hand and struck the side of Gintoki's head.
"Ow! Geez, Old Man!"
"Shut up, Boy, or I'll open that wound up for you again."
Gintoki winced, rubbing the new formed lump on his head just under his silvery white, wavy hair.
"If you must know," the Doctor moved on "a kind, young lady found you in the rain. If it were me to have found you first I would have left your fat ass to die in the mud, but I just couldn't say 'No' to Miss L/N's pleading eyes".
"Miss L/N, huh?" Gintoki closed his eyes, listening, but still a bit bushed.
"Yes, since you're obviously not from the area you clearly haven't been acquainted with her," the doctor adjusted himself in his seat, crossing his legs into a comfortable position "Ever since Miss L/N moved into town just a little over a year ago she has been a meaningful presence to the community".
"How so?" Gintoki asked earnestly.
"Well, her arriving was a circumstance very similar to yours Mister...."
"Oh!" Gintoki realized the Doctor's hesitation "It's Sakata, but you can call me Gin".
"We're not friends just yet, Mister Sakata," the doctor stayed deadpanned when telling him off "Anyway, at first everyone thought she was going to be a nuisance— a skid mark on the whole town! But, when she made temporary residency at the Inn and got herself cleaned up, she proved to be a great pillar to the community. At first everyone knew her name as a bad thing, but than the infamy turned to simple, small town fame and I couldn't imagine this town without her".
"Huh, YAWNNN...," Gin couldn't help but let his tired eyes get to him, especially when forced to listen to an old man's exposition.
Gin felt a pain in the side of his head again "Ow! Would you stop that? Why are you so violent?"
"Why are young people so rude?" the doctor said mockingly "If you are still listening, Miss L/N is the owner of the dojo across the street, if you're up to go thank her. I'm sure she'd love to see you up and moving".
"Huh, maybe that is a good idea," Gin stroked his chin in thought.
"Okay, while you ponder that I still have my rounds to do," the doctor slowly got up from his chair "Just be sure you feel you're at your potential max strength before getting up and moving again, alright?"
Gin nodded as the doctor made his exit. Gin then laid his head deep back into his pillow, leaving the doctor's suggestion bouncing around in his head, before drifting off to sleep.
---
It was the next morning and Gin had gotten just the right amount of rest. Despite his new back ache from laying in that hospital bed for so long, he felt as good as he could be while still having a healing injury in his side. He decided to temporarily leave the confines of the hospital and make his way to the dojo to thank this Miss Y/N he had heard so much about.
You hear the bell ring as the front door of your dojo swung open. You clutched your Kendo sword and faced the noise, quickly lunging towards it, letting out a 'Heeyah!' with a strong tone of voice.
Gin jumped in surprise at your sudden action, not expecting to be attacked on entry.
You give a boisterous laugh as you admire the shocked look on your guests face. You then straighten up and point your sword to the floor, leaning on the hilt of it for a casual support.
"Uh, Miss Y/N? Is she here?" Gin asks with a nervous tone in his voice.
"You're talking to her! Whatcha' need, Mister?" You flash the man a white smile from ear to ear.
"Well, actually-"
"Oh, wait! I know who you are," you stride over to him, keeping your pointer finger directed his way "Y-you're that guy. That Samurai who was bleeding out! Ha! I'm happy to see you're doing okay!"
Gin blushed at your sudden approach and friendliness "Uhhh... yeah, that's me!"
"You look fine, but how'd you get that messed up before? I was scared out of my mind when I found you blacked out on the ground. At first I thought you were dead!"
Gin bit his lip, not wanting to divulge what had happened whatsoever "I-I was looking for shelter, but I took a wrong turn along the way".
"Oh yeah, I'd say so!" you lean your Kendo sword in its stand with the three others, smile still on your face "Well, if you still are needing shelter once you're fully recovered, I'd recommend the Inn just on the end of the street. I know that place helped me out very well back when I was in a bind".
Gin nodded "Alright, thank you".
"The name's F/N, by the way. No need for last names in this dojo, Samurai," you held out a confident hand to Gintoki.
Gin was caught off guard by your friendliness, but when he locked his eyes with yours he was in an instant trance. There was no way he could deny you "The name is Gintoki Sakata, but you can call me Gin," he accepted your handshake, your tight, warm grip instilling an energy within him.
You then silently step away, as if Gin was no longer there, and take a seat at your desk at the side of the room. You begin to flip through your journal, prepping your ink brush to write on a fresh page.
Gin awkwardly stood in the doorway, unsure if it was alright for him to stay or if he should leave. He then notices a magnificent, long katana hanging on the wall. Its blade shined of crimson, and its hilt pure gold. He silently gawked at it as he slowly made his approach.
"You like it?" you break the silence, not removing your eyes from your paper.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Where did you get this?" Gin admired.
"It was my mother's, and her mother's before that," you reply, setting your brush down "my great grandfather was a blacksmith, and it was gifted down the family tree ever since".
"It's beautiful," Gin reached up to it but dared not touch.
"You can hold it. I imagine you are no novice with a blade, Gin the Samurai?"
Gin chuckled, gingerly taking hold of the sword and drawing it in your direction "You would be right in that assumption".
You look up from your writing, staring down the blade of the red sword "Are you challenging me? You are unwell!"
"Nonsense!" Gin exclaimed "No matter the injury, my muscle memory still remains intact. My body won't hold me back".
"Tsk tsk tsk," you shake your head, a smirk to your lips, as you rise from your seat "I wasn't talking about that wound in your side. I was referring to your mind, for only a fool would be so ballsy enough to challenge me".
You unsheathe the blade that was at your side and hop on top of your desk.
Gin, surprised by your boldness, doesn't let his reluctance take over, and smirks when the two of you lock death glares.
You leap down from the table top and the two of you clash blades on impact. You both swing your katanas in an almost rhythmic wave back and forth, the clanging of metal scraping creating an almost musical sound. In unison, the each of you step back and fourth and side to side in attempts to become dominant, all while maintaining strategy. The two of you are seemingly evenly matched, and Gin becomes bored of that. He then lunges, catching you by surprise. His spins his blade around yours causing your sword to slip through your finger and bounce to the floor with a clang. He uses this opening to strike, getting close to you and just about touching the blade to your throat, but not quite.
You're both breathing heavily, but, as he's smirking with confidence, you stand shaking with dilated pupils, sweat dripping front the side of your brow.
"Whoa," you say in between pants "that was impressive!"
Gin lowers the blade from your jugular, carefully bringing it to his side "You're not so bad yourself".
"Although-" you continue "you did have sword advantage...".
"What? Are you making excuses for your lose?"
"Eh," you shrug "it's either an excuse, or a fair point; who's to say?"
Gin laughs "If you're so unsure, then how about we trade blades? Then we'll see who's truly the better sword fighter after all!"
You shake your head, waving off Gin's suggestion "Nah, you seem a bit tired. You need your bed rest and to heal up before you can properly face me in an even match".
"Ha ha, okay," Gin smiles softly.
As Gin puts the sword back on its wall display, he thinks about the fact that he hasn't felt this way in such a long time. Ever since he stepped into your dojo the vibe he got from the place- from you, even, it had just left a warm feeling in his heart. He had just met you, and yet, it felt as if you had known each other for forever.
Gin did not feel like leaving just yet, and one topic he still wanted to discuss was the beautiful sword in your possession. Gin carefully sat beside your desk asking about the full history of the blade, down to the last detail. The topic then went from swords, to other thing, like interests and funny stories. Your conversations end up taking up half the day, until Gin ends up heading back to his hospital room just before sunset.