[ he doesn't fumble for words the way Katsura had earlier; when Riku has trouble speaking, he simply says nothing at all. ]
[ it may have been an accidental gravitation to Gintoki, but he'd found more muddy, common ground (making all that rolling stone work harder) with Katsura, and an easier life pretending with Shinpachi -- so he realizes, in a sort of faint and feint way, the Yorozuya is more or less where he'd like to be ]
Mine.
[ he doesn't fend off the personal question this time, takes it with a shaky breath ]
I've lost her, once. My sun. ...I never told her, either.
Re: callback.
[ it may have been an accidental gravitation to Gintoki, but he'd found more muddy, common ground (making all that rolling stone work harder) with Katsura, and an easier life pretending with Shinpachi -- so he realizes, in a sort of faint and feint way, the Yorozuya is more or less where he'd like to be ]
Mine.
[ he doesn't fend off the personal question this time, takes it with a shaky breath ]
I've lost her, once. My sun. ...I never told her, either.