With Or Without You
-+-In Which Nothing Goes Wrong For Once -+-
Laughing happily, Yukimura ruffles Sasuke's hair, despite the boys best efforts to make him stop. "Yukimura! Stop it! You don't do it to Saizo!"
Said Jyuuyuushi pales instantly when Yukimura's gaze falls on him. "Y-Yu-Yukimura-sama, you wouldn't…?" Saizo nearly begs, literally trembling as their master advances on him. "Yukimura-sama please no! Noooo!"
Saizo's last cry of "No!" turns to a wail as Yukimura pounces on the stuffy Jyuuyuushi, which makes Sasuke just howl with laughter.
Hearing the cries of laughter and Saizo's distressed pleas and the loud girly nonsensical cries that can only be described as Yukimura, Kosuke smiles from the kitchen.
It's nice when there are days where no one has to think about fighting, or death or even the state of Japan. Sometimes it's nice to just be happy and act like the world is perfectly fine.
And to be honest, it's nice to hear Sasuke laugh so loud and so much (even if it is at Saizo's expense. ((Again)). )
As the three continue to laugh (or protest) the other Jyuuyuushi slowly drift towards the main compound, almost and unconscious force drawing them there. Kosuke decides that this is a good thing, as it means that she will not have to go and find everyone for dinner.
She is incredibly hesitant to go into the room where so much noise is coming from because she doesn't really want that moment to end and she is sure the three inside feel the same, but it is customary for everyone to eat together when they have the chance.
Yukimura was the one to decide on this, even if he never said it out loud, it was clear that he would be annoyed if someone did not turn up for a meal when he or she could have.
This meant many-a times Yukimura would physically drag Sasuke away from where-ever he was hiding to join them.
Finally Saizo manages to nearly crawl out of the room. Hiding her smiles behind her hand, Kosuke offers him a hand, which he thankfully accepts, already working on trying to fix his hair, which has been ruffled, braided and what seems to be an attempt to put it into pigtails.
Deciding that Saizo had suffered enough, Kosuke doesn't say anything as she leads him towards the kitchen, leaving Yukimura and Sasuke alone again.
Inside the room that holds the master and companion, Sasuke has finally stopped laughing and is now resting his back against one of the walls, tying to calm his breathing down.
Yukimura is looking very much like the cat that ate all of the canaries in country, his grin is infectious and soon Sasuke is grinning as well, just remembering the looks Saizo had when Yukimura declared he would make Saizo's hair "The prettiest in all the land."
When Sasuke has calmed down and regained his some-what serious nature, he turns to Yukimura. "It's nearly time to eat."
Yukimura nods, not quite wanting to let their time alone be over so fast. As if to confirm this, he pulls Sasuke from where he is sitting so that the ninja is now in-between Yukimura's legs on the floor.
"Just a few more seconds." He murmurs, leaning down to press a kiss onto the teenager's slightly parted lips.
Smiling warmly at the light redness that blooms over Sasuke's face, Yukimura rests his head on Sasuke's shoulder, simply holding the teenager.
Many months have now passed since Akira and Hotaru left Mount Kudo and the (nearly a full) year where so many things had gone wrong. But in the end, everything has seemed to work out just fine.
The Tokugawa Empire suffered…maybe not severe, but damaging losses due to the short war that broke out and subsequently the assassination attempts have lessened considerably, to the point where it is quite common to find Yukimura alone with only one or two Jyuuyuushi as guards now.
As for the youngest (but most powerful) Jyuuyuushi, Sarutobi Sasuke, his various wounds he managed to accumulate have all completely disappeared. No stiffness in his fingers (but that doesn't mean he's gotten out of the habit of unconsciously flexing his fingers every so often), he no longer walks with a limp (but the scar will probably stay with him forever, like most others) and the arm that was broken escaping from the dungeon has set and healed without any weakness.
But most importantly out of all of his injuries would have to be the temporary blindness that hounded him for that near year. Even though that healed nearly two months after being rescued, the time spent living with his eyes closed and in the world of semi-darkness took a toll on the teenager's eyesight.
Technically, there is nothing wrong with his eyes anymore; there is no damage to them and there is certainly no damage to his brain (and considering that he was thrown pretty much head-first into a tree that's pretty amazing), so the only problem stems from the fact that he is so used to everything being blurred or just….not there, that having his eyes open now is actually more of a chore than keeping them closed all of the time.
Not to mention he still gets minor headaches if he concentrates on using his eyes for long periods of time.
So, much to the annoyance of…well just about everyone at Mount Kudo, Sasuke walks around, and performs, most tasks with his eyes closed. And hell if it doesn't freak them out.
Unfortunately for the pair time never really wants to stand still and all too soon Kosuke is calling for them to come and join the rest at the table because dinner has been served.
Smiling almost apologetically at Sasuke, Yukimura kisses him one last time before the two stand up. Yukimura stretches lazily while Sasuke flexes his fingers, before turning towards the door.
"Jinpachi just arrive at the north gate." Sasuke mutters quietly, but Yukimura hears him all the same. And he doesn't question Sasuke's statement.
The young ninja undoubtedly has the best sense (bar sight) and is phenomenal at sensing other people's presence, one of the only pluses of going blind.
Smiling even brighter because he just knows that Sasuke will be able to feel it, Yukimura starts to move. "Well that's good. It means that all of my dear family will be around for lunch."
Sasuke mumbles something suspiciously like "Idiot" before following his Lord.
-+-
There are probably very few places in Japan, hell, in the world, that have meals anything like the ones that take place at Mount Kudo. Or where-ever Yukimura is.
The first problem is finding a spot next to someone who you know will
One; not piss you off
or
Two; not start an argument/fist-fight.
Also, no one ever wants to sit next to Yukimura for the simple reason that he's a menace, annoying and will always try and force feed you.
The second problem is getting the food. In most normal households, the head will take his food first. So once Yukimura has taken his fill, war breaks out and it becomes an all-for-all.
This never fails to bring endless amusement for Yukimura, who loves to watch his 'family' coming up with new ways to fight each other off.
When finally everyone has gotten what they want (or been told to suck it up because someone else got it), Yukimura will normally say some (a good few minutes worth) of words about….well…it doesn't really matter because no one actually pays attention (apart from maybe Saizo, if he isn't suffering from being attacked by Sasuke. Who always manages to, even if they aren't sitting anywhere close to each other).
Finally everyone starts to eat, with only minimal bickering and the occasional shove. Or tug of hair if it's long enough.
The third and final problem holds many similarities to the second in the fact that there is a mad chaotic scramble, only this time to get out of the dining room. The rules go that if you're the last out (apart from Yukimura because he's the head, and Kosuke, because she's the one who normally cooks) you have to do the washing of the plates and bowls.
Hence the rampage, which Sasuke has never once been caught up in. He always sails ahead of everyone in escaping, far too fast.
As the rest of the Jyuuyuushi disperse back to what they were doing before eating, Sasuke grins at Saizo (who's hair is still frazzled from earlier and is still supporting one or two tiny braids) who is the unlucky one left to clear up.
After getting a death glare in return, the teenager makes a quick detour to his room to pick up Shibien before sauntering out of the main buildings and into a secluded grassy-area to start his personal training, designed to improve his fighting skills without using his eyes. These exercises were created by Akira, who had taught Sasuke how to deal with is blindness. (Not that the ice-wielder had much choice; Yukimura pretty much forced him to for a while.)
As he starts to slowly warm his muscles and body up, he lets his mind start to wonder and calm down, releasing nearly all thoughts so that his mind is quiet. Once he has accomplished that, Sasuke unsheathes his sword serenely, it snapping out, viciously attacking the air.
Akira and Hotaru. Two of the Shiseiten. Ice and Fire, and yet have a strange companionship that leads them through the current parts of their lives. Neither honestly expected to spend a good part of a year living with Sasuke. Hell, neither of them expected to even say more than a few words to the kid and yet somehow they ended up as key parts of his life and managed to form a (unbreakable) bond with him. Not that they'll ever admit it of course
'Still.' Sasuke thinks as he swing Shibien 'Even if we actually were…companions, they didn't exactly say goodbye when they left. I think it actually took me a few days to realise.'
As the first of the daylight starts to fade, Sasuke opens his eyes very slowly, letting them get accustomed to the light.
Deciding that that has been enough work for the afternoon, Sasuke re-sheaths his sword and looks around quickly. Extending his senses he can be sure that no one is near. Quickly scaling the tree he is next to, Sasuke relaxes on the canopy of the tree.
He watches the sun set slowly, savouring the way he can actually see the colours slowly mix together before fading to the dark navy with just cracks burning a bright gold and orange. Then, even those tiny rivers of magma-like sky fade into nothing. The teenager stays just long enough to see the first star come out (but really, after the whole events with the Mibu the stars have never really been the same.)
Just as his eyes are starting to close, he can feel Yukimura's presence appear from the left. A small almost amused smile breaks out on his face. Sasuke just knows that he's going to get a minor lecture from Yukimura about how Sasuke shouldn't spend to long outside in these semi-cold conditions because his immune system hasn't quite gotten over everything yet.
The ninja almost considers legging it, but decides that when Yukimura catches him, the punishment (while normally pleasurable) would be a lot worse.
Instead, Sasuke just lays in his tree, watching the dark clouds roll overhead, waiting for Yukimura to make his move. So when arms wrap around him from behind, Sasuke just relaxes, rather than stab them with one of the kunai he's taken to hiding up his sleeve.
Yukimura knows damn well that it takes a lot of trust for Sasuke to relax like that, even among the other Jyuuyuushi, which makes a smile bloom upon the Lord's face.
"You know I think you should come in before the sun has completely set."
Sasuke frowns. "And you know I don't care. I like watching the sun set and rise from outside in a tree. You know that."
"Such insubordination. I should punish you."
"Not if you want me to actually be able to work tomorrow."
Pouting, Yukimura looks away. "You'll be gone for a day or so."
"So?"
"I'm going to miss you. You're important."
Not liking where this is heading, Sasuke laughs. "Yeah I know, we are you companions and are all special to you in unique ways."
Yukimura shakes his head. "I said you were important. "
Sasuke's "Yeah well." trails off before he mutters "…you're important to me too, you idiot."
Silence greets them for a few moments, then finally Yukimura pulls away and hops down out of the tree. "Come on. It's getting colder and you need your rest."
"I'm not a kid." Sasuke glares, but he still follows Yukimura's directions and starts to walk towards the building.
-+-
As Sasuke lies in his bed, he finds (to his amusement) that his eyes always seem to open when the world is dark. He knows he should be sleeping; as he said to Yukimura, there is a mission he must go on tomorrow, but for some reason sleep just doesn't want to come to him tonight.
Staring up at the ceiling, the teenager sighs, his thoughts turning to his idiotic Lord and their confusing relationship.
'I mean, it's not like much has actually changed.' Sasuke muses 'He still acts the same around me when the others are near and it's only when we are alone is…when he acts…When he says…When he says things I would normally imagine him saying to women.' His thoughts die down for a moment before he continues with his analogy. 'And it's not like I act any different!' He pauses to really think about that statement. 'I…don't act different, do I? Sure I may be slightly happier but that doesn't mean anything. It's not like if he suddenly stopped all of this stuff I'd be any different.'
He has always been very good at denying, but he has never been able to get rid of the voice that whispers in the back of his mind.
'But you'd feel colder.' The voice says, ever so quietly. 'You'd feel like you were just a faceless entity, with your only purpose in life in protect Yukimura.'
Sasuke shakes his head. "No…That is my only purpose already. I will protect him no matter what." He says out-loud. "If I lost this then nothing would change."
With that, Sasuke ignores the faint shiver that runs through his body and settles down for sleep.
-+-
Dawn breaks to find Hotaru sitting calmly by Akira's bed.
Not that this really surprises the ice-wielder; he felt the lazy fire-wielder enter a few hours earlier and this has been happening for the last few weeks. No, what Akira wants to know is why.
But he's not about to just outright ask Hotaru why. Once you've spent over a year and a half living and travelling with the oddity that is Hotaru you realise pretty quickly the asking direct questions normally will get you absolutely no where. The standard answer to any question like that seems to be "Hmmmm I don't know", a blank stare, or "I'll go and look for the lost answer" (Note: if the third answer in given then it means that Hotaru will just wonder off and get hopelessly lost of a good three or four hours until Akira finds him again.)
So, if Akira can't directly ask, he can't go to the opposite end and ignore the fire-wielder because that just means that Hotaru gets what he wants; silence and the freedom to do whatever he wants (Note: When 'freedom to do what he wants' is used in referral to Hotaru it usually ends with something important being burnt down.)
This is why, as soon as he has eaten and prepared himself for the day, Akira finally decides to find out why, and turns to Hotaru and just looks at him.
Of course, spending over a year and a half with Akira denotes that Hotaru understand perfectly well all of the looks and glares that he receives from Akira. Naturally he likes to change the wording of them slightly in head, so while Akira may be thinking 'Why were you in my room?' , Hotaru hears 'Why were you watching me while I slept?' and so answers accordingly.
"You make interesting faces. And can even hold a conversation."
Which leads to a blank (although slightly unbelieving) look before Akira realises that actually, that probably is the reason why Hotaru decided to observe him while he slept.
But to be honest, the thing that annoys Akira the most is the fact that it just doesn't bother him anymore. The first time, he may have frozen Hotaru's legs to the floor in irritation and the second time aim an ice-shard at his head, but slowly the irritation turned to mild annoyance and finally to just acceptance that this is what Hotaru planned to do for a while.
As the two continue through the day, Akira chooses to almost ignore Hotaru so that Akira can continue to mull over this acceptance of said person.
It's not the fact that he's accepted someone, it's more the fact that he's accepted Hotaru of all people. But then, the two of them aren't so different really. They share some qualities but the differences in their personalities keep them travelling together.
This of course, leads on to thinking about travelling alone (something Akira always thinks about after Hotaru's just set something {normally important} on fire again), but he comes to the same conclusion every time; travelling alone would be boring.
'Travelling alone. Sarutobi was going to travel alone when he tried to run away.' Akira reminisces. 'We just happened to be there and be leaving.' He shakes his head with an amused smile 'And yet even though we were leaving we ended up spending near a year there.'
When the pair pause in their walking, mainly so that Hotaru can have a staring match with a rabbit, Akira continues to think about Mount Kudo.
'Neither of us would be adversed to going back there would we? Maybe next time we are anywhere near that place we might find a reason to visit.'
As Hotaru watches the rabbit he had been staring at hop off, he turns to face Akira, who he knows is now thinking about the Kid and everything that happened. 'Still say that he was incredibly unlucky.' There is a pause in Hotaru's thoughts and then 'I miss shooting fireballs at him.'
The two have been walking for nearly the whole day now, and the first flecks of darkness are starting to take over the skies, so Hotaru decides to say his first intelligent thing of the day. "Will we be sleeping outside tonight, or shall we find a village?"
Akira considers their options before answering. "We'll camp out. The nearest village is too far away and we would waste half the night walking there."
A few minutes later they have found an area that is easy to defend and within moments have set up a camp sight.
The ice-wielder decides that now is a perfect time to do some mediation and settles into a comfortable position, just as Hotaru mentions something about finding a stream.
They both know that in Hotaru's world, "finding a stream" means that he wont be back for a good half an hour or so, but only Hotaru knows what he does in that time.
And soon, Akira is left alone with his thoughts.
-+-
While most of Japan is sleeping, a new young general of a minor division of the Tokugawa main army is plotting.
The only way up in life is to impress and please your superiors, in his case, Tokugawa Hitetada. The best way to please the Shogun? Eliminate his arch enemy, Sanada Yukimura, someone who has constantly been a thorn in the Tokugawa Empire's side.
'But everyone has a weakness.' He thinks. 'I just need to find it.'
-+-
You just know that when I start a story with 'Laughing happily' it can never last.
....However it would appear that it might just! I feel terrible for leaving it on a cliff-hanger like that, but I've completely lost my muse.I may try and start work on a new Akira/Hotaru story though?
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and put me on alert! I'll do my best to write more~