The sunlight streamed through the shoji, casting shadows on the floor, giving an illusion of stillness. Sojiro closed his eyes for moment again, letting the sleep drain out of his body. He had forgotten how tiring it was to stay up all night long, much less spend the night sparring.
Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and saw that Yuri had already picked up her futon and left. The light from the shoji, indicated that it was around 11.
You're waking up quite late, aren't you? He chided himself internally as he went to pick up his futon. Fixing his gi, he wondered if Yuri was even serious about this entire thing. Maybe she just wanted to prove herself or something. But Sojiro knew he was just latching on to false hope.
It wasn't as if the cause against this new Shishio was overflowing with people ready to fight. In fact it was the opposite. They badly needed fighters and every single one was accepted without hesitation. But Sojiro avoided recruiting himself. He knew it was a suicide mission, so why lead someone to their death? He might as well stab he-
"Oh Sojiro, you're up! Did you sleep well?" His train of thought ended quickly as he looked towards the interruption.
"Yes, I did. Thank you for asking Yuri." He smiled his trademark smile. Whatever had happened last night was simply a result of lack of sleep and a high from the sparring session. "Do you know where I can find Mr. Himura?"
"Yea, he's in the dojo, watching the class while Kaoru grabs something," she awkwardly shuffled from one foot to another, wiping her hands on her kimono, looking as if she wanted to say something.
"Thank you, I'll go check it out," he smiled again, moving past her before she could start. In any case, he really did need to find Kenshin. He owed him a proper explanation.
He heard and smelled the dojo before he even saw it. Sweat mixed with oak wax, was carried by the wind a good hundred meters away. Sojiro closed his eyes, listening to air being cut by wood, the soft laughs and reassurances. Everything a dojo should be. Everything his dojo wasn't. Before he let himself go down that trail of thought, he shook his head and walked in.
Removing his shoes at the entrance, he was surprised to see over a dozen pair of sandals, all neatly arranged. The last there had been three pairs and those had been haphazardly thrown about. It was amazing what three years could change.
"Oh Sojiro, I hope you sleep well, that I do," Kenshin smiled at him, gesturing for him to come in. He was seated comfortably on the ground, watching with amusement as the children squabbled and ran around. "Kaoru had some things to look after, so she left me to watch her students," he offered up as an explanation.
"I see. It must be nice to have such a lively environment. I'm sure Miss Kaoru enjoys it," Sojiro sat himself down at smiled at the man.
"That she does, although it is harder now that little Kenji has come. I'm just glad to help in any way I can, that I am," he smiled back, just as warm as before. A wave of guilt went through Sojiro and he knew that of all people, Kenshin deserved to know what was really happening.
"Mr Himura, I came because I wanted to speak with you regarding the matter of ... Chi," he said the name hesitantly, almost as if just saying her name would summon her.
"I see. I thought we had discussed all there was to discuss," his voice dropped low, his eyes no longer playful.
"I- I didn't know how much I should disclose to you, but after some thought I think you will make the right decision if you know everything." Closing his eyes, Sojiro decided where it would be best to start from.
"Chi came into existence around last winter. The lands where Lo- Shishio used to frequent were common spots for tourists to visit. Some tourists would come as they thought bathing in the same springs as Shishio would make them stronger. Some simply to try and gain his favour. Whatever the reason, once Shishio was defeated, these places were no longer of interest and thus, lost quite a bit of income. As you know, last year's harvest was not bountiful either. The townspeople began to become disruptive and angry.
"That's when Chi showed up. She told them that she was the new Shishio, that she was unbeatable. She knew that being a woman and strong would be far more awe inspiring compared to a man. And so the townspeople rallied around. But not without a cost." Sojiro stopped for a moment, looking at Kenshin through the corner of his eye. He sat with his eyes closed, still. He looked peaceful, if you ignored the way he was holding his sword that is.
"Although the police promised not to release your information to the public, news travels. Shishio had many loyal servants and after his defeat, they made sure to tell everyone of the man with the cross shaped scar. The townspeople also learned of this. Mr Himura, Chi is not just after Japan. She is after you. Essentially the idea is that if she defeats the man who killed Shishio, she will be hailed as greater than Shishio. More people will rally around her. More than already have."
It was quiet for a moment, the noise of the dojo not quite reaching his ears.
"I see. Thank you for telling me this Sojiro. I greatly appreciate it, that I do. But I do have one question that I hope you won't mind answering," smiling he turned to face Sojiro. "Sojiro, whose side are you exactly on? I would not be surprised nor angry if you were with Chi. After all Shishio was the one who saved you as a child and taught you all you knew. Yet, you came to warn me. Is it because you feel you owe me a debt? Is being a double agent true?"
"Mr Himura, I understand how and why you would come to that conclusion. However I do not support Chi. Shishio was someone who had saved me. I don't think I will ever be able to hate him. He was, in a way, my father. However I do not feel any of those feelings for Chi, which is why I can't work with her. I do owe you quite a bit, but telling you this can't begin to cover what I owe you.
"As for who I'm working for, well that will just have to wait. You will find out soon enough Mr Himura. I'm sure he'll be coming to pay you a visit quite soon," Sojiro smiled and looked at the children. "Mr Himura, although I have yet to see the world, my travels have shown me many things. And the one I've learned is that to protect a smile is truly a great cause." He smiled once more, looking at the children yet through them, his mind wandering. Perhaps that was the reason he couldn't let her fight. Looking out, towards the garden, he saw the first snowflake drift down.
Ta-daaa! Man this was really fun to write! I am soooo sorry I ghosted T.T I just had a lot of stuff going on (like my mental health wasn't good, my physical health wasn't good, school wasn't going well and work existed) but now I have that under control (kinda, not really but I can do it!) I am excited to getting back to, hopefully, a more consistent update schedule.
Ahhh what elseee. I hope this updates sorta clears things up? I know it was a lot of conversation and not much action or romance but at least the PLOT THICKENS! I kinda wanna write a halloween special but idk. Lemme know if I should because Im on the fence right now! Lastly please feel free to message me if anything seems kinda odd or anything!
As always please review!
