Disclaimer: I do not own Kekkaishi

Chapter 5: Obstacles

"I want to take over the kekkaishi job," Yoshimori said without a hint of hesitation.

Instantly, everyone stopped eating the dinner and turned their attention to Yoshimori. Silence reigned in the room. It was as if the time froze. Well, it was probably because the declaration was too sudden. One minute he said he wanted to go back to school in cheerful tone, saying he skipped school way too much and will be left behind if this continued. Another minute, he suddenly declared he wanted to take over the kekkaishi job in serious tone complete with serious face. Needless to say, this declaration earned different reaction from everyone.

Shigemori blinked for numerous times. This was so unexpected, so sudden, so…..so shocking to hear such serious declaration coming from a child like Yoshimori. Shigemori couldn't help but wondering whether his illness or age had caught up with him. Or maybe he was dreaming. There was no hesitation in Yoshimori's declaration. What had brought this? Three days ago, his eyes were dimmed with sorrow, despair and betrayal. Now, there was a burning resolution and determination in his eyes.

"Why?"

The question barely came out of Shigemori mouth. Shigemori knew he can come up with a better question than that. But, that was the only thing he could think of. His mind was still numbed with Yoshimori's declaration.

"Well, I figure that we can't let the Yukimuras handle Karasumori alone forever. They've been filling in the spot for us for more than one week. I think one week is more than enough. They too have other things they need to do," Yoshimori munched his foods.

Shigemori glanced at Toshimori and Shuji to see their reaction. Toshimori had stopped eating his dinner and sat silently. Shuji, on the other hand, was tensed. His body was rigid. Shigemori had a feeling there will be impending outburst from Shuji.

"Besides, someone needs to continue the family business. Toshimori is too young. Masamori is gone (at this name, Yoshimori's voice became bitter). Father is too busy with his work. You're too sick. So, I'm the only choice," Yoshimori said it as a matter of fact. "Besides, I'm this family's legitimate successor after all."

Something snapped inside Shuji when he heard this. His son's going to follow his wife's footstep. He's going to become kekkaishi like his wife. Like the hell he's going to allow his son to be associated with that… that cursed land. He didn't care if this family saw Karasumori as a sacred land. To him, it was a cursed land. Shigemori could see Shuji's escalating anger based on the fact that Shuji just crashed his chopstick in his hand. Shigemori just could hope that this didn't turn worse.

"No," Shuji said in a void voice.

However, Shigemori knew better. Shuji was suppressing his anger. They were walking on a thin ice. Unfortunately, Yoshimori didn't pick up the change in atmosphere. He looked at his father quizzically.

"I won't allow you," Shuji said sternly.

Yoshimori blinked, "Why can't I?"

"Because it's dangerous," Shuji reasoned.

"It's okay. I can use kekkai technique and know how to protect myself," Yoshimori argued back.

"You don't really know how to use it effectively," Shuji glared.

"Then, I'll ask Grandpa to help me in training," Yoshimori didn't back down.

Shigemori had a hunch that this conversation was starting to get out of control. Both sides were glaring at each other. Neither side wanted to back down. Apparently, Toshimori felt the same. So, he moved closer to Shigemori.

"I'm not going to let you go there alone by youself!" Shuji shouted, knocking over his rice bowl and cup as he slammed his hands on table.

"But, I'm not going there alone by myself. Madarao will come with me. And then, there's Tokine and her father too," Yoshimori made his argument.

"Yeah, sure. Look what had happened to your mother," Shuji said sarcastically.

Shigemori and Toshimori sweat dropped. This was definitely not good. This conversation had become really, really bad. Deep inside Shigemori's mind, he wished his son in law didn't say something like that. Sure, Yoshimori never said anything regarding Sumiko's death. But, that didn't mean her death didn't affect him. In fact, Shigemori had a suspicious that Sumiko's death was part of reason why Yoshimori wanted to take over the kekkaishi job.

"Shut up! It won't happen again!" Now, it was Yoshimori turned to yell and slam his hands on table.

"And how you are sure?"

"I'll make sure of it. I'll be the greatest kekkaishi in the world," Yoshimori declared.

"Yeah, good luck with it. You can't even match with Masamori," Shuji mocked.

The words stung Yoshimori to the core. It reminded Yoshimori greatly how Masamori insulted his skills. To add salt on his already wounded heart, his father just had to compare him with Masamori, his treacherous brother. It hurt so much. Yoshimori tried as best as he can to hide it. However, it didn't go unnoticed by Shigemori.

"That doesn't matter. I don't care, I still want to do it and I'll start tomorrow," Yoshimori shouted, ignoring his father's glare.

Shuji abruptly stood and shouted on top of his lungs, "Then go die like your mother!"

With that, he stormed away from the room but not before Yoshimori yelled angrily, "I won't!"

Silence reigned in the room again. Yoshimori was breathing heavily and his body was shaking with anger. He tried as best as he can to keep his emotion in check. But, it proved too much for him. Before Shigemori could say anything, Yoshimori bolted out from the room. Shigemori barely saw a single tear shed from Yoshimori's eyes. It bothered Shigemori so much. As much as he was bothered by how Yoshimori addressed Masamori.

Yoshimori just called Masamori as Masamori and not aniki like he used to do. Not to mention, there was bitterness in his voice when the boy said Masamori's name. Shigemori did try to found out what had truly happened between Yoshimori and Masamori before Masamori ran away from home. But, each time he raised a question on this subject, it will either be met with silence or Yoshimori changed the topic into other things. It can't be that bad, right?

Then, there was another thing with Shuji. Shuji was too harsh on the boy. True, his son in law had the right to be worried about Yoshimori. Karasumori is a dangerous place after all no matter how experiences you are. But, that didn't mean he can lash out like that to Yoshimori. It's not right especially when he brought out about Sumiko and Masamori. Yoshimori may not show it but Shigemori knew better. These two subjects were sensitive to Yoshimori. He was not fooled with Yoshimori's fake smile and cheerful attitude.

"I just hope that boy can cope with everything," Shigemori thought.

Two months had passed away since the incident. In these two months, many things had happened. The Sumimura family was starting to adjust to their life without Sumiko and Masamori. It was a slow progress but it was better than nothing. Shizue, Tokine's mother, had been kindly enough to teach Yoshimori all things he needed to know about house chores. She even gave him useful tips to him. Now, Yoshimori was able to do laundry, cooking, cleaning and washing all by himself. Soon, Shizue didn't need to stop by to send their lunch or dinner.

Of course, from time to time, he would seek advice from Shizue especially regarding shopping. He never knew there were many rules and tactics in shopping groceries. For example, you needed to have a great speed to snatch goods when there is promotional sale. Shizue had explained to him that sometimes the mall will give a high discount for their goods. So, many people a.k.a housewives would compete with each other to get their hands on these goods. And they really are competitive. After all, who don't want great goods at cheap price? It's just that Yoshimori never knew how competitive they were.

Yoshimori could still remember how he was squashed and tramped over when Shizue brought him to some mega sales. It was like a battlefield. Everyone tried to outdo each other. If you're slow, you'll get nothing. Well, Yoshimori didn't really think it was bad. At least, it helped him to develop some speed. Yoshimori always believed Karasumori is a dangerous place. But, apparently, shopping mall that held mega sales can rival its dangerousness. At those mega sales, Shizue had taught him how to pick goods, how to bargain with sale person and many more.

Yoshimori also had started his duty as Karasumori's guardian. It was tough at the beginning especially if you're not used to staying wake late at night. With Shigemori's help, Yoshimori's skill in kekkai technique showed some improvement. He learnt to use kekkai technique in various ways. He can use his kekkai to trap his enemy and lift an object. He also learnt how to strengthen his kekkai so his enemy can't get away from it easily. Yoshimori had to admit that this technique is interesting and practical. You can use it outside battle. For example, you can cast sound proof kekkai to avoid noise when you desperately need some sleep.

Other than kekkai technique, Shigemori also help Yoshimori to improve his skill on restoration and shikigami technique. Both techniques are useful to Yoshimori. With restoration technique, Yoshimori can fix any damage on property inflicted during his battle with ayakashi. As for shikigami technique, he can use it to send massage to other people or order them to do work. Needless to say, Yoshimori used it to its full advantage in helping him with house chores which allowed him to practice more and do house chores in short time.

Yoshimori too had returned to his school. At the beginning, it was very awkward and hard. He didn't really know how to face everyone especially his classmates because of his long absence. Not to mention, he was way behind everyone in study. Luckily, his teachers were kind enough to him. They helped him to catch up with everything. Soon, it didn't take a lot of time for Yoshimori to catch up with everyone. However, he only had a small problem in school. He often (well, most of the time) fell asleep in the class, much to his teacher's irritation.

Of course it was not surprising, considering Yoshimori had to guard Karasumori at night and go to school in the morning. Not to mention, he had to do the house chores and training after school. So, he had only short time for sleep at home. Needless to say, it created troubles for him. The teachers weren't pleased with Yoshimori's habit of sleeping in the class. Well, that was until Yoshimori explained the whole situation except for the Karasumori and his kekkaishi job part of course. After that, his teachers didn't really make noise about it for various reasons.

First, they didn't have the heart to scold him after listening to his story. Really, who can be mad at a small child who just lost his mother and needed to care for his family after school? Second, Yoshimori always did his homework and studied hard. Each time they asked a question, the boy was always able to answer it. In fact, he was sometimes ahead of his classmates. So, overall, Yoshimori's teachers didn't really have problem with Yoshimori's habit. It's just that they wished Yoshimori could tone it down a bit. Therefore, Yoshimori didn't really have problem with his day to day life except with..….

…his father.

Why can't his father understand how important it is to protect Karasumori? Sure, Yoshimori can see his father's logic. Karasumori is a dangerous pace and not a place for a child like him. But, can't he see that leaving Karasumori unprotected is more dangerous than protecting it? It was not like he did it for fun or fame like his father said or accused. For the past two months, they had cold war with each other. Father always acted coldly toward him, declaring he will only stop if Yoshimori stopped being a kekkaishi. Needless to say, it led to more fights between them.

Yoshimori sighed. He knew he can't leave Karasumori to its own device. If he did, the ayakashi, small or large, will definitely swarm the land to absorb its power. Grandpa had explained to him what happened to ayakashi that absorbed Karasumori's power. Sure, they become more powerful. But, if they absorbed too much, they lost their mind and become mindless killing creatures. They will not stop rampaging and killing everything around them until someone stopped them. This was the reason why they put a collar on their dog ayakashi, Madarao. They needed to ensure Karasumori didn't influence Madarao.

The collar did more than stopping Karasumori's influence. It also sealed away Madarao's true form. Yoshimori never saw his true form. But, Grandpa said he was a strong and big ayakashi. That was why Yoshimori should never take off the collar under any circumstances. Madarao had been with Sumimura family ever since their family guarded Karasumori. Their kekkai technique founder, Tokimori Hazama, had given them Madarao to assist them in their duty. With his sensitive nose, Madarao helped them to track down the ayakashi.

Sure, Madarao could be annoying sometimes with his stupid teasing but he is also a good companion. Whenever Yoshimori felt down and had problem, he will be there to offer some advices and encouragement on his problems especially regarding his father. Yoshimori did try to make peace with his father like making his favorite foods. Unfortunately, every attempt met with dead end. Still, Yoshimori persistently tried to make amend. However, Yoshimori had limit on his patience too. His father really tested his patience sometimes especially this particular night.

Everything was fine at the beginning. They had a good dinner. Then, Yoshimori played a bit with Toshimori. After putting Toshimori in his futon, Yoshimori got ready to go to Karasumori. He put on his purple kekkaishi robe and grabbed his tenketsu. Yoshimori was at doorway and about to go when Shuji showed up unexpectedly. He wore unpleasant expression on his face. Instantly, Yoshimori knew in his heart where this will lead to. Something he tried to avoid as best as he can.

"Where are you going?" Shuji asked.

"Going to Karasumori," Yoshimori answered obviously.

"I forbid you," Shuji said sternly.

"Don't you think we hade this discussion a lot," Yoshimori sighed.

"Then, you know why I hate you go there!"

'I know but…" Yoshimori said slowly

"Don't you remember what happened to your mother?" Shuji shouted. "Why you are so stubborn and selfish?"

At this point, something snapped inside Yoshimori. "Selfish? I'm selfish? You're the one who are selfish!" Yoshomori shouted.

Yoshimori was trembling with anger. A single tear started to form in his eyes which he quickly squashed it, much to Shuji's shock.

"You're not the only one who is sad about Mom's death. Grandpa, Toshimori and I are sad too." Yoshimori stopped to catch a breath. "If you think I don't know how dangerous Karasumori is, you're wrong. Of course I know but like the hell I'm going to let other people die like Mom!"

With that, Yoshimori stormed away to Karasumori, leaving behind a shocked Shuji to think what had truly happened.