Gintama x Reader One Shots

Gintama One Shots Returns! In Fanfic Form!

"Hey," Gin said, "haven't you noticed we haven't been doing a whole lot lately?"

"That's right," Kagura replied. "We haven't even done anything since December of 2022!"

"Dammit!" Gin cried. "At this rate, we're gonna become irrelevant, just like that Naruto sequel!"

"Calm down, Gin," Shinpachi said. "The Author's just taking a little break right now. I heard she had a mental breakdown, and is currently trying to get her life back in order."

"A mental breakdown?" Gin scoffed. "I can't believe it! Doesn't she realize our lives depend on her? What's a mental breakdown when you have a bunch of little mouths to feed?"

"You sound like a scumbag," Kagura muttered. "Mental health is important, you know! That's what all the cool kids say!"

Gin rolled his eyes. "Mental health? Don't you know? In my day, we just pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps and got on with it! Kids these days..."

"And look how far that's gotten you," Shinpachi muttered. "And what's with 'a bunch of little mouths to feed?' You make it sound like she's our mother!"

"What does it matter if Author-san is able to write, anyway?" Kagura asked. "We're all someone else's characters. If we can't keep existing here, why not go back to where we came from?"

"But that's the thing!" Gin snapped. "This book is completely different from the original series! We're basically different characters! What will happen to us if the book disappears? That's it!" he decided. "We're going to find the author!"

"Great," Kagura sighed. "Finally, something to do!"

"That...sounds reasonable," Shinpachi conceded, "but Gin, there's something I've been noticing..."

"Yes, Pachi-kun?"

"Isn't the writing much more lazy than it usually is?"

"Goddammit, Author!" Gin snapped. "If you're gonna write something after leaving us hangin' for months, at least put some effort into it!"

~o0o~

For the last several months, Shinpachi had been hearing stories from the other cast members—rumors of what was happening to the Author outside the book. Figuring she must have talked to someone outside the Yorozuya, they decided to pay a visit to the other groups in the show, starting with the Shinsengumi.

"The Author?" Okita said. "Yeah, I've seen her. It was right after the hiatus started."

Okita sat on the engawa, polishing his sword after the Yorozuya definitely-did-not sneak into the Shinsengumi Headquarters uninvited. Not that anyone particularly cared. It had been many seasons since anyone found their presence there odd, though the others couldn't help but notice Kagura was seething.

"The author?" Kondo exclaimed, peeking his head out of a nearby room. "You've met the author? I thought that was just a rumor!"

"She probably thinks you're a weird gorilla stalker," Okita muttered. "Anyway, Danna, what is it you want to know?"

"What did she look like?" Gin demanded. "How bad did she feel? She did feel bad, right? Wait, no, she's just a callous, heartless—"

"Calm down, Gin-san!" Shinpachi hissed. "I'm sorry, Okita-san—what he meant to say is: we're worried about her, and we want to know if she said anything that can let us know where she's gone."

"Where she's gone?" Okita muttered. "Beats me. The whole thing was months ago."

"See?" Kagura snapped. "I told you this guy would be useless! Let's tie him up and throw him in the river!"