Hanzo Hattori returned home to his wife amid excitement from his children, and nervous laughter from the apprentices he brought with him. One hour later when everyone had almost finished their dinner, he was finally allowed to sit down, and Teruko was hiding the rusty knife Sayomi had been menacing him with.

"Don't let it be said that I don't keep my promises." She warned Kotori, taking her seat at the head of the table with a worn out grin. Her husband almost collapsed at his end, stopping himself from smashing his face into the table when one of his students pushed a plate there.

"You could have at least let me get off the bleeding horse first!" Hanzo finally gasped, but without gesturing, as his right arm was too busy with his chopsticks, and the left... Ryota had heard the stories of course, and his father had mentioned it in passing, but seeing it for himself was different.

Catching himself staring at the pinned up sleeve before anyone else did, Ryota quickly turned back to his plateful, forcing his ears to delve back into the conversations, trying to find one to enter. "So Yomi, how far have you gotten?"

"We got to just before Kanegasaki before you were announced." Sayomi informed, ducking her head to hide the blush she felt spreading along her cheeks. "I think I might've ran Ryota over when Nami said you were nearly home."

Her children giggled quietly, and even Teruko was unable to completely disguise her smirk. Ryota hadn't been hurt, but it had been a close call. As it was he was certain that sheet of notes would need redoing. But he couldn't fault the light that had come into Sayomi's eyes when Nami came to deliver the news. Especially since they were beginning to align with the version of the story he had glimpsed in his father's notes, and Ryota could tell that while having her children near kept Sayomi's tone calm and her posture strong, Hanzo would be a more suitable partner for the dark tale ahead of them.

He was proven right without even having to pick up his brush, instead learning this simple fact when he was getting some water before going to sleep. Spotting someone else in the garden as he went past, he hastily ducked behind the nearest pillar, not wanting to be taken for an intruder or eavesdropper.

Gulping quietly, he poked his head out just enough to see the figures part from their embrace, Hanzo holding both of Sayomi's hands in his one. "I'm glad I got back when I did." He sighed, bringing the mess of fingers to his lips.

"So am I." Sayomi whispered, and Ryota only heard it thanks to the crickets keeping quiet that night. "Momo wouldn't let the matter lie, and now we're too far in and..." There was another quiet sound, before Hanzo pulled her closer and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Don't worry. It's all in the past now, neatly parcelled and tucked away." Sayomi gave a thick chuckle, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears despite her husband's words. Ducking his eyes in shame, Ryota tucked himself back behind the cover, wondering if it was possible to induce amnesia before the night was out.

As he stood paralysed though, Hanzo gave a humourless chuckle, "We should never have agreed to this."

"And why not? It's a miracle we were able to keep everyone quiet this long." Sayomi gave a sigh, "At least this way we have control over the version people hear."

"Oh? Have you been leaving parts out, my dear wife?"

The teasing in his tone drew another sigh from Sayomi, this one sounding more theatrical than anything else, "Just a few of our lesser arguments, maybe some of the battles that weren't important."

There was a silence then, both of them probably musing on what was to come, or what had been left out. Then, Hanzo spoke again, "If you want, I can ask the boy to join training tomorrow, give you time to think of a story. I've seen you bend the truth to the rest of the council before. You don't need to tell him the whole truth."

"No." It was such a small word, but Ryota could feel the weight of it from his hiding place. "We all agreed to tell the truth this time. If Mizu can do it, then I've got no excuse."

"Fine, but I'll tell you what I told the others. If you want it to stop, say the word. I've got agents everywhere, so stealing a few hundred sheets of paper shouldn't be an issue."

"More like a few thousand. I've had to send people for more paper about three times now."

"I thought you were leaving things out? Wait, you left the drag act out, right?" Using the laughter as a shield, Ryota slowly crept out from his hiding place, glancing just long enough to confirm it was safe before scurrying off to his room.