A/N: Hello everybody! Did you like that little bait and switch of the last chapter? Be prepared for more heart wrenching sadness later on...
As the dim morning light filtered through the open panel door, Yuuta knelt down at the head of the small, wooden table. A son on each side, he nodded silently as they picked up their hashi chopsticks. Pouring his tea, he enjoyed the sound of the early birds singing their morning song. As Yoshi and Saki ate their gohan and sakana, he was quite content to sip on his misoshiru. Today would be spent in meditation, practicing the toh mantra. Harmony was ever important this day, maybe even more so than any other day. Three years ago, his enemy, Oroku Kaiji, was destroyed. Yuuta had expected a great fight after the war that Kaiji raged on him, but once it came time for the warrior to defend his family with the honor and strength of a thousand ancestors, the fool became a whimpering coward.
Kaiji had not just been a coward though. He was careless, and worse, ignoble. After dropping a burning lantern on the dry floor, he left his two sleeping sons to perish in their home. He shoved his wife to the ground as he scrambled to get out of the way, and when Yuuta's blade pierced him, the dastard cried out for the same woman. As terrified as she was, she fell to his side. She had more honor that he, and Yuuta could respect her for that. She watched as her home burned, crying for her lifeless husband, screaming for her dead children. Her hair hung sweaty to her face as she clutched Kaiji's head, rocking back and forth as she doubled down, meeting his blank gaze.
Yuuta had pulled her up from the dirt, away from the bloodied body. She beat against his chest, her small fists hitting him like a wadaiko drum. Her nails began digging into his flesh, and he could not imagine her pain. He had lost his father, his wife, but to lose his son? That would be unimaginable to him, let alone to a woman who had grown her children in her very womb and labored for their lives. To have them ripped away from her so cruelly, he never wanted innocents to die. Only those who dealt out cruel deaths themselves. There was rarely, if ever, honor in killing women or children.
"Leave this place," He dictated his command to her. "Return to your family and forsake the name of Oroku. Forget this day, put it behind you." She sobbed, her voice cracking, but she began backing away from him. "It will not be easy. But I promise this to you, upon my word that just as you choose to forget, so we will forget you. You will not have to live in fear, Miyoko-san, for the remainder of your days."
She stood straight, her understanding clear as tears still poured down her face. A call came from one of his brothers, and he turned for a moment to see the man gesturing. Glancing back at Miyoko one last time, he saw her vanishing into the nearby wood. Breathing deeply, he moved swiftly back to his men.
A cry had been heard in the burning building. Yuuta's heart clenched. No more death. Not in the Oroku clan, not in the Hamato clan. There had been enough blood, and he took his own risks as he slid into the home of his former enemy.
He had found the two year old underneath the crisp corpse of his brother. The older of the two had saved the younger, and Yuuta knew he learned from his mother. Kaiji could have never taught his sons this honor, and it grieved him to see a mere child have been burned because of the mistakes of his father. How could he, as a master, let this happen? How could he not defend those he claimed to be the head of? More importantly though, how could he as a father, leave his children like this? His soul be cursed, ever haunted by the death of his son. May he never find peace, nor his father or his father's father.
A sudden sound jolted Yuuta's attention from his memories. Saki was trying to pour tea for his brother, clashing the glass kettle against the cup. The cup was now chipped, but Yuuta simply picked it up, smiling softly at his wide eyed sons. "Thank you for pouring your brother's tea, Saki. What do you do in return, Yoshi?" Picking the kettle up gingerly, Yoshi poured the tea shakily into his brother's own cup. "Good, my sons. Never forget, we are not here in this life to serve ourselves, but to always serve others." Rubbing Saki's hair lightly, he smirked. "It seems that you are learning that faster than your brother." Yoshi bowed his head, his eyes clearly in wanting of the same affection. "Yoshi, take Saki ahead to the dojo. I will join you for meditation."
Glad to be given a task, Yoshi grinned. Standing, he and and his brother bowed to their father before Saki raced out the door ahead of him. "Come, Nagi, or I will get there first!"
Cringing ever so slightly, Yuuta watched as Yoshi quickly gained on Saki. Some said that it was a mistake bringing Saki into his home, the son of his enemy. Some said that the choice would come back and haunt him. But Yuuta could not judge the young child child based on what he might do, but what he had done. And he had done nothing worth of Yuuta's ill will. He could be… he was a Hamato. He was a son of Yuuta. He was but a mere child, and even now he did not remember most things. It was a slip of the tongue to call Yoshi the name of his former brother. If he were to ever find out his past though, Yuuta prayed that he would remember the affection that he showed him. That he was just as beloved as Yoshi. That he would understand.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading to the very end! If you could leave a comment, that would be great! For more fanfiction awesomeness, check out Geek Crossing on YouTube. See how fanfiction is affecting what we watch on the big screen! Also, vote on which YouTuber we should review next!
