#frw musing

Absolutely nothing, that's what. But let's just pretend it means something.

Celebratory music just for the occasion. Blasting through the entirety of the Sakamaki mansion. Oresama drops it hard.

He stares at her in disbelief, not quite sure if he heard right.

"Oi, oi. You're not kidding me, are you?"

The cash had been laundered, there was no doubt about that. If Takasugi senior reported the break-in and launched a full-scaled investigation, it would be nigh impossible to trace the money to where it was now, in Takasugi's hands, as well as his own. No, that wasn't why this was dirty money to Gintoki. His eyes drifted to the badge he had taken, sitting inconspicuously on his desk, and his arms dropped to his side, hanging off the sides of his chair as raised his head to look at the ceiling.

There was no way he could keep the money. Not knowing where it had come from. It didn't matter whether Takasugi senior had been the one behind Akane's murder or not. The link was there, and that was all that mattered.

It wasn't like he had never laid hands on dirty money. With some of his clients, you could easily guess that the money they had was obtained through less than legal means. But this was different. This was a direct reminder of that which had cost Akane and her family their lives. And perhaps some might call it silly, but Gintoki could not shake the feeling that keeping it would be spitting on their memory. He just couldn't bring himself to do that.

Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts wander through the options for an instant. And then he made his decision. Getting to his feet as suddenly as that decision had been made, he dropped the bundle of notes back into the envelope and was out the front door that Takasugi himself had sauntered out of less than an hour ago.