Interlude: Sakumo

Sakumo gave his mission report to mission services before heading home and resting.

The sun woke him and he made his way to the kitchen where he prepared breakfast. He pulled the tableware from the cupboards before realizing Yuina was still away on her mission. Kakashi had left on another mission too, so it was just him.

It was odd. He was proud of them and happy to encourage their success and progress, but it was weird not having them here. It was odd when he started taking missions again since the kids had been a constant in his life for over three years, not a day passed without spending large amounts of time with them. Still, he found himself adjusting to the routine he once had. If anything, it made the adjustment to them entering the academy that much easier.

Having no one to return home to was a little different. He had never lived alone. He grew up with his parents and grandparents. Then he got a place with Juuri. Even then he and his family constantly visited each other until they passed. Then the world gave them Kakashi and Yuina against all odds.

Sakumo looked at the family photo Yuina wanted. He had gotten a copy for them all. He wasn't a material type of person, but maybe he should have gotten one of him and Juuri together. Cameras were relatively new but they were invented before her death.

Looking around the empty home he thought about what he had in life. His family. His comrades. His village. A home. A job. Food. That should be enough and yet in this moment he feels like he's missing something.

He goes back into his room to the large wooden chest storage box. There's intricate designs engraved into it. They received it at a wedding gift from his parents. It had been a small affair. In part because that's how they wanted it to be. In part because it caused some drama with her family.

Her family had been making preparations for an arranged marriage before he had ever met her. She had long agreed to her parents' desires. Juuri had a strong will but it was always aimed at supporting those she cared for. To help keep their spirits high and to remain in good health.

It wasn't that her parents hated him as a person. It just brought them endless problems when dealing with the fallout of the other party. They admitted that if he would have showed up in their lives sooner then maybe things could have worked out differently.

His parents instilled honour and graciousness into him his whole life. His marriage was his one of his few acts of selfishness.

Sakumo remembered the time Juuri came to say goodbye to him. She had written him a song and played that solemn yearning piece to him on her koto. Even now he remembers the melody. He could let go of a lot of things, but he didn't want to let go of her. He proposed then and there.

His hand brushes against the dusty koto. Juuri cherished it a lot. Said she had it for as long as she could remember. That for her sometimes music spoke when there were no words.

Sakumo decided to go for a walk to clear his head.

"Hey Natsuki. Looking over the shop today?" He noticed Gota's son manning the stall.

Gota rubbed the back of his head. "You must not have heard. My dad passed away a little over a week ago."

"Please accept my condolences." Another one. He'd lost some dear people to war and missions while others have long retired. Gota had been a civilian merchant but Sakumo still had known him a long time. A death is a death regardless of one's role in society.

He walked further down the street before stopping in front of a shogi board. He stared for a while unsure. "Do you want it?" The shop owner listed the price.

He needed something to do and it wasn't like anyone would play uta-garuto with him anymore. He knew the verses too well to compete against an immature, yet too quick to play against most people.

He didn't know much about the game aside from what the pieces did. His grandfather liked to play but it was never an activity they did together. "I'll take it."

It was an activity to keep his mind busy. Maybe he should have bought a strategy book. He set up in the park for a change in scenery. He was moving the pieces from both sides as he sought to see what maneuvers could be done when someone sat across from him.

"That move is a waste of a turn. Look." The older man readjusted the pieces and the man's explanation was clear and understandable.

"You wouldn't happen to have time to spare for a few victories against a beginner?"

"You got it! It's my motto to never go easy so prepare yourself." The man's eyes gleamed at the request as he resets the board.

Sakumo is quickly destroyed, so he began to measure success by how many moves he could last.

"You're a quick learner. None of my kids care for the game. My friends used to humour me. I think Ryuji was the only one of them that actually enjoyed playing." Seikatsu, the name of the man, moved another piece before continuing. "My wife though. She'll play with me until the early hours of the morning. It's how we met. If I hadn't been so stubborn about who had the most wins I would have married her sooner."

"That's a nice sentiment."

What would Sakumo's life be like now if Juuri hadn't died? Would he still be exchanging poetry in exchange for ballads?

No, he told himself not to think of what ifs. He had to look at what was before him. What the current reality was.

That's how he got through raising Kakashi and Yuina on his despite the grief.

"I should be getting home now. Rei will be upset if I miss dinner."

"You wouldn't happen to be free tomorrow?"

Seikatsu laughed. "You sure like losing. Mind if I bring Rei with me? I'll show you a real match."

Sakumo agreed.

It's something.