As soon as Goemon and Yakeru exited the library, Goemon grabbed Yakeru's arm and turned the kid to face him.

"Are you fucking serious?" Goemon snaps. "In what right mind did you think you can just leave the grounds without informing anyone where you were going? And talking to Yara no less! You can't just talk to my informant about something personal!"

Yakeru mirrors the glare Goemon was giving him, keeping his lips pursed as he didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the road.

"This is the exact entitled behavior I mentioned that would get you killed. You think you can just do whatever you want and there would be no consequences to your actions." Goemon releases the kid and starts heading towards the stables. "Everything you do is impulsive and dangerous."

Yakeru followed for a few strides before noticing the ramen shop that was across the street from them. He hasn't eaten properly the last few days so the smell of the spicy ramen almost made the saliva pour out of his mouth. His feet were faster than his mind as he was already walking towards the shop before he decided to take a break and have some food. He had enough money on him to get two bowls and some tea.

Goemon looks back and finds the kid crossing the street towards the ramen shop before calling out, "Where the hell are you going?!"

"I'm going to do something impulsive and dangerous," Yakeru replies without looking back at the ninja, walking through the door and finding a seat near the front.

Goemon doesn't argue as he follows the kid into the ramen shop, hating the fact that he isn't dragging the kid's crippled ass out of there and into the street; but he was able to smell the spicy ramen from afar and understood why he wanted to get a bowl.

The shop wasn't too busy, probably before dinner service, and Goemon walked to the booth Yakeru sat in. The kid was in his own world, staring at the large painting on one of the shop's walls with his chin resting on his palm. Goemon scanned the splint that he wore on his hand and noticed the bruising around his wrist.

"How's the arm?" Goemon asks, keeping his eyes down at the cast.

"Okay." Yakeru shrugs.

"Does it hurt or bother you? I once broke my ankle and it was-"

"What is this?" Yakeru interrupts, meeting Goemon's eyes as he snaps at him.

"Talking?"

"You don't talk. In fact, your favorite way of communicating is by yelling at me!"

Goemon looks away for a second, scanning around him to see if anyone heard the outburst before looking back at the redhead.

"Does it have to do with what Yarichiko told me earlier?"

Goemon nods. "Physical training isn't the only way I should grow my relationship with you two. And I can see that. You only believe that I'm working you hard and trying to make your lives a living hell, but I do want to get to know Fuyuko and you better. Getting to know you guys would help training by a long shot."

"In the end, our relationship is only about making us good ninjas." Yakeru scoffs as he looks away from the man. "I hate having to believe you're my father."

"What do you mean by "having to believe"?"

Goemon asks Yakeru but is only given silence as he continues to stare at the painting, his eyes shifting as he traces all the lines that he could find to distract himself.

The silence lasts for another minute before the hostess brings over two large bowls of spicy ramen and two cups for some hot tea. Aside from the sounds of them slurping noodles and other customer voices, Goemon and Yakeru didn't say a word to each other for the entirety of their dinner. And when it was time to pay, Yakeru cuts Goemon off and hands the hostess the rest of what he had to pay for the food and bows before leaving the shop.

"You didn't have to pay for me," Goemon tells the kid as they walk side by side towards the stables.

Yakeru doesn't say anything, only taking a quick glance from the side before looking back ahead of him.

Just like their meal, the ride back to the Hattori mansion was completely silent. With any exterior sounds filling up the space between them, the two redheads could only make conversation with themselves as Yara's words filled both their minds. Goemon was able to make it to the end of their conversation. By the time he was able to stall his horse and run over to the library, he was able to hear what Yara was telling Yakeru about the Goemon Ishikawa. Apparently, from what he could gather, Yakeru is trying to figure out the man himself. Goemon still couldn't figure out who he had done it with to be able to get such a stubborn kid from.

Goemon isn't as famous as he used to be. Sure, people can still spot him from a crowd, and women would still flock to him if he opened up to them. But lately Goemon has been in the shadows, steering away from the public eye and keeping to himself. He had money to live comfortably, friends he could trust (though he rarely met with them anymore), and the occasional mission; he could die a happy man with the subtle lifestyle. A kid like Yakeru threw off the balance of his life. He has this sudden job as a mentor for a pair of ability ninjas who are taking up his time 24/7 and making him chase his tail left to right. Just two weeks into training, the two get suspended from training and ability use. That's a hell of a record if Goemon ever saw one. At least if other young ninja's disobeyed orders and processed to a mission on their own, they would have been successful before getting suspended.

Goemon looks over his shoulder and finds Yakeru in his own world, a book in his good hand and a rein held with his pinky and ring finger. He didn't know what he was going to do with him. Though, Goemon is starting to think that he is obsessive over the kid like he is a toddler. Running around and getting into bad situations without realizing it, arguing back with the parents because they think they are old enough to do whatever they want. Maybe he needs to back off. He's on top of Yakeru pretty much with anything he does. His visit with Yarichiko was innocent and there is no way Yara would mention anything that shouldn't be said.

With an exhausted sigh, Goemon lies back in the saddle and drapes over Ringo's croup, throwing an arm over his eyes to cover them from the setting sun. He needs to stop running around like this. Ringo even lets out a sympathetic snort.

~PYRODYNASTY~

Blue hour had just begun as Yakeru walked up to his room. Tossing his backpack to his desk, he lets out a sigh of exhaustion and sits on his futon. He didn't put it away like he usually would, so it was tempting for him to just crawl in and under the cover and sleep for the rest of the week.

Looking down at his cast, he notices that the wrapping was getting dirty and the skin under was getting itchy. A bath sounded good too. He would redress the wound and get some fresh ointment on it to help with the pain and inflammation.

Nodding, he grabs a red and white yukata from the closet and the bag of fresh dressing and ointments before heading down to the sauna at the bottom level of the mansion.

It was a quiet walk. No Hanzo or Kuma, no Kotaro, and Fuyuko, definitely no Goemon. There were some distant voices of some of the maids but they were quickly ignored as Yakeru continued to head towards the bathhouse.

The bathhouse was already warm, probably used just recently, making it easier for Yakeru to keep the heat going. The logs were nearly burnt out, so grabbing a couple from outside the door, Yakeru heats lights some kindling with his finger and drops it in the pit, and watches as the fire grows and warms the rocks piled above it. Turning to his right, Yakeru dipped his hand in the wooden tube and felt the cool water slowly begin to warm again. Nodding, he walks back to the little cubie where clothing is kept and takes off his kimono, folding it and setting it in the slot before grabbing the bag of bandages and taking it with him next to the warming tub.

Rennoshin was kind enough to teach Yakeru how to change the dressing himself. Taking it off wasn't the worst part. Under the wrapping, his wrist and thumb were held in place with a thin flexible wood that kept him from moving it around too much and making sure that the bone straightens in the process. It was tightened and adjusted for when it gets bandaged, but he has the ability to take it off when he needs to wash.

The area was blue as it was bruised and had almost no circulation in it. There is a deep outline on his skin from where the cast held on tightly to keep him from moving his wrist around. The oils were helping with the inflammation, but there is no way someone wouldn't notice the weird angle of his wrist if he tried to walk around without the cast. Submerging this arm in the tub first, he lets it sit in the heated water for some time before he starts thinking about how he has never broken a bone before he started training with Goemon. Maybe he was just bad luck for him.

Yakeru had to bite down on the old wrapping to be able to keep his voice down as he adjusted the cast on his disfigured wrist. This was the worst part. Wrapping also hurt like hell, but tightening the cast around his wrist made him almost ignite from the adrenaline. He has to sit for a minute before finishing the process, trying to calm his nerves and subdue a bit of the pain. The sweating from the sauna was not helping any either.

~PYRODYNASTY~

The sun has completely set by the time Yakeru exited the bathhouse. The sudden change of humid to cool air made his breath visible, a chill running down his back as he walked through the mansion towards his room again. With the air around him almost completely silent, Yakeru paid attention to the sounds of his feet as he strolls through the halls. They weren't loud, but they definitely weren't completely silent steps like Goemon's were. Even on rocks, he was light on his feet. Been a ninja trainee for 6 years and he still cannot walk around without making a sound.

Yakeru slips into his room and stores away the bag of bandages and ointments before hanging up the kimono to wash the next day. He was about to head to the futon before noticing a small pile of money on the corner of his desk next to his backpack. Counting the coins, it was the amount paid for the meal he and Goemon had in Ijuri. Yakeru didn't know if he should be annoyed that Goemon thought he owed something to him or relieved that he has some money now.

Without thinking, Yakeru's feet led him through the halls of the mansion in search of Goemon. It was quiet all around him until an illumination of a lantern warmed around the hall, silent footsteps followed the light until a figure emerged.

"Yakeru?" Kuma looks over at him in surprise, scanning behind him to see if anyone else was with him.

"Hi, Kuma. Getting a midnight snack?" He looks down at the plate of onigiri and tea that she skillfully balances on one hand with a lantern in the other.

"Yup. Had a meeting today with some neighboring headmen with Hanzo today and missed dinner. Would you like one?" She offers with a small smile on her round face as she holds out the plate to the young redhead.

"If you don't mind." Kuma shook her head as Yakeru took a rice triangle from the center of the plate, careful to keep it balanced in her hand.

"Why are you up? Doesn't look like you are out for your midnight tea." Kuma asks with a tilt of her head.

"I'm actually looking for Goemon-sensei. I need to talk to him about something." Yakeru took a bite of the rice, taking in the vibrant seasonings on the edges and some spicy fish in the center of it. Kuma was a good cook, even if she only did it occasionally.

"Goemon? Oh, well he seemed burnt out so I believe he went by the creek to meditate. Once us ninjas start getting older, we don't have the same energy that you younger ninjas have. I cope with it by eating, Goemon copes by meditation." Kuma mentions with a nod as she walks past the young redhead. "If you do talk to him, try to keep it subtle. After that event with you and Fuyuko, he hasn't been able to calm down."

Yakeru only nods, but Kuma was already down the hall and didn't look back to see his reply.

The walk wasn't long, but he was partially blind trying to walk through the dark forest surrounding the mansion and nearly tripped every 10 feet. Igniting a small flame in his hand, he uses the dim light to guide him towards the creek before stopping at the water's edge, scanning the area and failing to find the ninja. Hearing a faint fall of a waterfall, Yakeru remembers that there was a cliff area just up the creek with a tall waterfall just up the creek. Without a second thought, his feet move up with the creek's bed towards the growing sound of the waterfall. It only took a few minutes before he was able to get near the mists of the falls before noticing the person he was looking for in the water.

Goemon stood under the crashing water, chin up as he allowed the water to massage his head and shoulders. He was in his own tranquil state, not noticing the young ninja continue to walk towards him and sit down near his clothing on the rocks.

Yakeru watches with some awe. He's seen Goemon meditate before, but the image is more serene than before. The water was barely waist-high. Probably cold as hell since it was still spring. But as he continues to stare at Goemon, Yakeru watches as he leans forward a bit before rolling his shoulders back. Orange flicks of fire appearing off of his skin before the water extinguishes it.

Goemon's fire seemed to appear faster than the water could put it out. Steam comes off of him as he breathes in the hot air that he was able to create, the cold water and hot skin soothing him and melting away the tension in his body.

Yakeru continues to watch in awe, observing and taking notes on how to do such a thing. That was going to be a goal of his: keep his fire ignited while in water.

It was another few minutes before Goemon started heading towards the shore. Dipping under the surface one last time before coming up and pushing his hair back, wringing out the water and smoothing it flat against his neck. Finally looking up, he finds Yakeru sitting on a rock next to his pile of clothing, watching him as he trudges through the water towards the shore. He couldn't read the expression he wore, but there was a small flicker of something in his golden orbs that made Goemon think that he was hiding a look of admiration.

"Did you need something?" Goemon asks Yakeru as he walks up the pile and picks up his black yukata and proceeds to wrap it around his waist.

"I saw that you put the money on my desk," Yakeru begins, looking away as the man changed next to him. "I don't know if I should say thank you or give it back."

Goemon nods, keeping his thoughts to himself as he only puts on one of the sleeves and tucks the other behind his back.

Yakeru doesn't say anything as Goemon sat down next to him, the two watching the waterfall in the dark before his eyes scan the tattoo on his bare left shoulder. Crimson swirl patterns, similar to the ones he has on his shoulder. But his tattoo was done by someone from the West. The way he described it was that it has more of a "Victorian aesthetic" to it. Whatever that means.

"Let's head back. It's getting late." Goemon breaks the silence, standing and holding out his hand for the trainee next to him.

Yakeru doesn't hesitate before taking his hand and pulling up from the ground. Following Goemon, he matches his stride and listens for any difference between their steps. Frowning as he doesn't hear Goemon's, only his on the dirt path.