Ueda was peaceful, the quiet sound of the water in the moat and the lone cricket, stubbornly singing in the night. Sasuke smiled to himself, lounging on the walkway and staring out into the night. Peace was scarce and short in these times, so he cherished it while he could. The moon was a mere sliver, the stars bright in the inky backdrop.
A welcome respite, to say the least. He turned, facing the sliding door that led into the room of the tiger cub of Kai… Yukimura slept peacefully, from the faint rustle as he shifted, a sound that he'd come to recognize, to distinguish from the rustling of being unable to sleep. That was usually accompanied by a heavy sigh immediately after the sound of shifting ceased. No, he slept peacefully tonight.
"You know, danna, I wish you knew more nights like this…" he mused quietly, voice barely more than a whisper. "I have watched you grow into a fine young warrior… and I guess you probably think of me as a mentor… So I have a right to be proud, right?" Chuckled quietly to himself, looking down at his hands. "Yeah, I think I do."
His hands closed into fists, and he leaned back, palms going flat against the floor. "Even so, it would have suited you to find a pretty girl and settle down. That vagabond may be right about that much. It's too bad, danna. I would have much rather raised you as a retainer that never had to see strife than one that has seen such things at your age…" Nineteen, barely more than a child. Though it had not been too long since he'd been such an age himself, and already a skilled assassin. "Such are the times, I suppose."
He silenced as Yukimura shifted again in his sleep, listening. Tonight was a restless night. Perhaps he dreamed of battle. Perhaps he dreamed of the one-eyed dragon.
The worst thing that could have happened to him, meeting a man like Date Masamune. Sasuke scowled. His dislike was instinctual, and though he had a good man steering his blows, the dragon was haphazard and more dangerous than their usual enemies for his retainer's cunning strategies. "Shouldn't put too much faith in a man like Date Masamune. Migime-danna is the kind of man you should aspire to be…"
A nod, satisfied with himself, and his logic. Katakura Kojuurou had a good head on his shoulders. But there was something equally satisfying about leading Yukimura as a Takeda ninja. More freedom, for one. He didn't mind so much being bound to a house, with a leader such as Shingen. But the future was an uncertain thing. Even if Takeda fell in a battle in the days to come, an event he would much prefer not happening, he had the freedom to leave. A man like Kojuurou would be expected to follow in his master's path.
"You've chosen the noble path, Sanada Yukimura. The path of the warrior. The path of a general… Would that you didn't have to choose at all." He scoffed, rubbing his nose. "Well, I guess we would all be a bit lost in a time of peace. We're men of action, after all. This time suits us just fine. What do you think, danna?"
More rustling from within the room, and a quiet groan. "Sasuke, is that you?"
Sasuke glanced back over his shoulder, noiselessly climbing to his feet and slipping off as he heard the sleepy shuffling approaching the door, the slide of the wooden doorframe. Yukimura would not find the ninja sitting outside his room, only an empty courtyard with a single cricket that resumed its chirping as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.
Sasuke padded across the roof, cursing himself for a fool. "You need to stop speaking to walls, Sarutobi," he scolded himself. "You of all people should know that they might actually be listening."
