Gintama; Takasugi x reader (Finale) [Take Me With You]

Finale

     "Ojou-sama, lets go home," says the maid as they walk on the pathway. It is dimly lit by the full moon's light. "I am scared if something might come out this late."

When the maid's lady turns to see her reluctantly trailing behind and constantly looks around in a wary manner, she reassures, "It's perfectly safe here in this part. And stop calling me that. Just Y/N is fine."

     "But I'm your maid..."

     "Yuriko!" Y/N exclaims, startling the girl. This isn't the first time they hold that conversation. "To me, you're just like a younger sister. So don't think of it that way."

     "But Shounou-sama pays me to look after you," Yuriko replies, wringing her both hands nervously.

Y/N makes a face and speaks through a displeased tone. "Then abandon him and stay with me. I can get the owner to hire you too."

The younger girl's face sparkles at the thought. This way she can get her hands on the herbs and medicines stored in the many jars of the apothecary cabinets to learn about them without having to always ask for permission. Not to mention, she'd get money from doing what she loves. Y/N senses her pleasure and smiles.

Two springs had passed since she was miraculously brought back. And one spring passed since she met her helper, Yuriko, a gorgeous girl of fifteen years.

Y/N remains by the apothecary, offering to go to the woods in search for medicines and delivering cure to those who are too sick or occupied to come directly. The owner first heeded her of his incapability to pay her well, but she waved him off, saying that it was her passion to learn about herbal medicine, and received a rather decent amount at the end of the month. At night, she resides by a certain home near the back of the village with Yuriko. It was rebuilt soon after the incident to fit identically with the previous structure's fashion, same goes with the rest that had fallen victim to the fire, for respect and for remembrance.

Nobody stopped her decision to live there. They all knew, and she was glad her parents too understood, that by being in that home, she feels most secured and closer to the certain girl who was more than her life, and to herself.

They continue down the path, the only sound in the woods are the cries of cicadas overlapping their footfalls. Regarding Yuriko's silence, Y/N figures that the girl must be assessing the plants, classifying them as herbs to plants with no particular medical uses and to those poisonous. A chilly breeze passes through, and reminding Y/N that the coldness of winter has yet completely faded even though all the snow had melted.

She slows down, and without saying anything, removes her thick pale haori, before wrapping it around Yuriko's shoulders. The girl shakes her head in protest but relents when Y/N says, "It's fine. I'm used to it." Yuriko pulls the cloak tighter around her and walks besides her miss.

Once, she had difficulties maneuvering through the forest, behaving more or less like little wary Yuriko. Now Y/N weaves through the cleared pathway as if her body is accustomed to this kind of lifestyle. The woods sing out for her and it's music luring her into the embrace of the branches, the fragrance of every flower. They're so alive, or maybe it is she who's alive, drawn to the essence of this place beyond words to fathom, darkly beautiful like watching the moon kissing a serene lake at the horizon.

She feels this attachment now, as she stares at the full moon through a gap between trees.

     "Ojou-sama," Yuriko breaks their silence. "Why do you often come out like this at night? I mean, if it's for medicine then I understand, but you don't seem to be..." She tilts her head aside in question.

Yuriko steals a side glance at her when her mistress doesn't respond. In the dark, unknown to all, her miss seems to be struggling with something she doesn't say, her light elegant face woven a bit tight.