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Who: abe no "i'm so gloomy now" sousei & all of you people
When: IC: 1/21-23 || OOC: 6/17-20ish WHENEVER
Where: Various, catch him wherever suits!
What: What do you do when your partner's gone missing? Do dumb things and check on all of his adopted children, naturally.
Rating/Warning: None!

a. open - around the shopping district;

[At first, he didn't really think anything was wrong. Tenka going missing was naturally concerning, but he could've been at work, or the like. But as the day drags on and he doesn't show up, Sousei actually picks up his phone to call him.

User not Registered.

That's...that's very bad. Don't mind Sousei just standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring down at the CereVice in his hand.

At least, until he snaps back into action, turns abruptly, and starts going in the other direction. Too bad he didn't look where he was going first, hopefully his abrupt stop and equally abrupt direction change didn't cause any traffic jams.

Otherwise he can be found poking his head into shops and through alleyways and possibly even opening up and peering into trash cans. What does he think he's going to find there? Who knows. He has to give it a try, though. Even if he does look ridiculous with a trash can lid held over his head.]

b. open - gym;

[And as it drifts into the next day with still no Tenka, Sousei has to admit what he very much doesn't want to--namely that Tenka's gone, and they have no idea if he'll come back or anything. The city has only just started to run properly again after that entire ghost scare; still, it's hard to really appreciate that when it's becoming starkly obvious that everything is not quite right now.

Which is why he can be found in the gym even before his shift begins, practicing. It's good to practice. It's a good way to stay fit, and sharp, which is necessary after that entire fiasco.

Of course, he may be taking this a little too far, as the time drags on into hours and his breathing comes in short, sharp pants. He should probably take a break, but it doesn't seem like it's all too likely right now.]

c. semi-open: to tenka's close cr/people he adopted/etc;

[If Tenka knew you or was trying to take care of you or wanted to help you in some way or was even just amused by you, chances are he told Sousei. And now, as it edges into the third and four and fifth day and still no sign of Tenka coming back, he has to admit that that's probably the case. It had taken Soramaru two weeks to come back, so it isn't as though there isn't hope--but even so, he can't leave this for two weeks.

So he goes to perform his Not Fun Dad duties (which, for the record, he never signed up for). So if Tenka knew your address, he'll be awkwardly knocking on your door, or if he otherwise sees you around the city, he'll be approaching.

Awkwardly.

Sorry if you've never met him before, but he has a Duty to perform, and that duty is looking out for Tenka's gigantic swarm of adoptees and making sure they're all okay after that entire ViViD and technological fiasco.]

Excuse me.

[Don't mind him. He's just a little more Awkward than Tenka--and he's a little tired, though it's hard to tell from his face.]

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[ Shinpachi has actually already noticed Tenka was gone. By coincidence, actually - he wanted to call the other guy to let him know they should have another bar night with all of them together, but the moment he tries to click Tenka's profile, he gets another message.

He's seen it before. When Leanne disappeared, when many of the Shinsengumi disappeared. It means they're no longer in this place - or at least, not among them. And while it's not uncommon for people to return sometimes like Saitou did (surely Tenka would, right? who has more of an unbeatable spirit than that guy all of all people?), it's still rough in a sense.

But Shinpachi knows it's got to be rougher on one specific person than anyone else. And he did promise Tenka to look after Sousei if he couldn't, so right after work, Shinpachi is making his way to the first place he knows he'd find Sousei. And it's then that he spots the other guy, looking completely exhausted (even if he's still going) after doubtlessly hours of this training. Bingo.

Waiting for a moment that the other man has to rest inbetween exercising to catch his breath, Shinpachi strikes, draping his arm straight over the other's shoulders. ]

Yo, Sousei..!

[ There's nothing about his cheerful greeting that betrays the intentions behind him searching out the other, at least. Good job for once, Shinpoodles.. ]

[It's a perfectly timed ambush.

Sousei can't keep going with Shinpachi's arm slung over his shoulders, though he was at least vaguely aware of the other's presence while he was waiting on the fringe of things. Sousei frowns, tense as ever with the physical touch, though he doesn't bother to shove Shinpachi off.

He's at least learned that this is just the way Shinpachi is.

(Or it might have something to do with the fact that he's been practicing for hours, and Shinpachi is heavy, and there's a slight tremble to his arms now, and he doesn't want to draw attention to it.)]

...Nagakura. What is it?

[Does he know? Is Sousei going to have to deliver the news again? He's not sure, but he really doesn't want to. He's tired of the distraught expressions that he's been the cause of, even if by proxy.

Tenka should be ashamed.]

Oh.. [ He almost sounds a little offended - although it's the Shinpachi over the top kind of it, which means that it's obvious he's just putting it on for play. To keep the atmosphere light, since he can already feel the fact that Tenka's gone from his place hanging heavily in the air between them. ]

Are you saying that I can't just swing on by to see my good friend Sousei? I need to have some sorta special reason for it? [ Not.. that he doesn't have a special reason to it.. but that reason is exactly the thing he doesn't want to draw attention to right now. ] I'm hurt!

[Ah...yes, that is some over the top theatrics there. Sousei blinks, and his response is exasperation as ever (with deeply hidden fondness).]

Yes, that is what I am saying, and no, you are not hurt.

[Why can you not take a joke, Sousei...why must you ruin everything you touch...]

Now are you here for a reason or not?

[Of course, it could be that very reason that Tenka is gone that has left him so snappish; it's been a wearing week on him for so many reasons. Shinpachi is just getting the unfortunate brunt of it.]

[ God. It sort of makes sense, since Sousei already isn't the most pleasant to begin with (not that Shinpachi minds, he's learned how to prick right through that at this point), but Tenka being gone sure must have put him in a terribly sour mood for him to be even worse than usually.

.. then again, if Sano suddenly disappeared one day.. then he'd be in a pretty shitty mood too, huh. And since it's him, it'd seem even more off, so this is actually not even all that bad yet. ]

Fine, fine, I'll drop the pretenses.. I doubt you'd just say "yeah, sure" if I invited you to come drink with me tonight. [ He lets out a sigh, and it's almost as if some of the lighter attitude drops right off his shoulders, his posture changing a little. It's still not entirely heavy, since he wants to be optimistic about this, but.. ] I already know. Tenka's gone. Then you know why I'm here, yeah?

[Ah. There it is, the bluntness and the clarification. Shinpachi already knows that Tenka is gone; good, that makes things easier. And he's right about Sousei's response; he's not going to go drinking with him tonight, but more because he knows that he has even less of a handle on his self-control than usual, and he doesn't want to deal with that right now.

There's a faint quirk of his lips, humorless but present.]

Are you here to take care of me and make sure I don't do anything stupid?

[That sounds like something Tenka would do. "Take care of Sousei", he'd say, so selfishly, as if it's fine that he disappears and leaves that burden on someone else.]

Tenka has always been selfish that way. That's no surprise.

Edited 2015-06-24 18:42 (UTC)

Listen. Tenka didn't ask me to do a damn thing.

[ There's something a little more on edge in Shinpachi's voice than usually - it could just be that he's laying it on a little bit more since he's making an important point here and doesn't want Sousei to ignore it, despite the fact that his mood must be shit right now. Or maybe the idea that he's only doing this because someone asked him to just offends him.. whichever it is, his tone is a little harder than the usual jovial one. ]

I promised way back, without him prompting me. You're my friend too, do you really think I'm not going to do anything in a situation like this? [ After all, would Sousei and Tenka have left him alone if Sano suddenly disappeared? Probably not, just -- well, in their own ways. This is the same thing. ]

[...well, at least that's something. Sousei knows all about Tenka and his ways, after all. "You'll look after Soramaru, right?" he'd asked Sousei after ten years of silence, and it's ridiculous, really, to think that he would be that selfish, but here they are.

He's sure Tenka has asked people the same on his behalf.

But if Shinpachi offered himself, then...that's at least more tolerable. Less frustrating for him--less of the feeling of Tenka constantly shifting his burdens over onto other people (and Sousei doesn't want to be one of those burdens).]

I don't know what I thought you would do. [He didn't really contemplate it too deeply.

...Still, he at least sounds like he's backing down a little, now that he knows Tenka didn't make the request. They sure have some deep-seated issues along those lines, whoops.]

...But you can do what you want.

[ Well, this makes it a little easier. Only a little, since Sousei is a little too much like a stone wall even on his best days, but it's better than nothing. This is something Shinpachi can work with-- even if he does hope that Tenka comes back soon. That he comes back at all. He doesn't want Sousei to have to live seperated from his best friend like that.. Shinpachi's done it for months himself back in Zelien and it was shitty as hell, even when Heisuke and the others were right there. It still felt like something was missing. ]

What I want, huh?

[ Sousei already looks fairly exhausted, but Shinpachi knows that's just sometimes the only way to get out pent up frustration or other emotions. Just go on until you can barely stand, until you can hardly even think of anything anymore, let alone the things that keep troubling your mind.

He grabs one of the practice swords off the racks, rolling it over in his hand before gripping it with both instead. ]

In that case you might find a little more satisfying to try beating the shit out of an actual person, huh?

[He supposes he should've expected this, but somehow, he really didn't. Sousei pauses for a moment, but...this sort of coping suits him perfectly fine. Shinpachi isn't trying to get him to stop, or talk about his feelings. He's not spouting the "Tenka asked me to look out for you" line--which, while Sousei knows is true for everyone who has said it, is eternally frustrating.

No, instead he's just picking up a practice sword of his own, and Sousei's response is an inevitable, but simple nod.

He doesn't have a lot of breath to waste; he's been at this too long already, and he knows that the exhaustion in his limbs won't treat him well for this. But he also doesn't care. Right now, nothing sounds better than taking out his frustrations on a competent opponent, and so as soon as he thinks Shinpachi is ready, Sousei slides back into a ready stance, and then he lunges forward with a still-precise swing.

Sousei's quiet at the best of times, but now especially, not a lot of words are being minced here.]

[ Shinpachi's a little bit more of a talker while fighting, but it's not like he hasn't faced opponents who are a lot more silent. Besides, even if Sousei isn't saying anything verbally, he's still saying enough in Shinpachi's eyes.

He's a trained warrior, after all. He's fought enough to be able to see what's driving the other right now in every single movement, in the way his wooden sword hits Shinpachi's own. While he can recognize the other's moves from their previous spar, there's still different nuances to it.

But that's good. It means that Sousei can actually put some of his emotions into this and deal with them a little better that way.

Managing to parry the other's blow, Shinpachi swings his sword at Sousei instead now - with much less raw emotion in it than the other, sure, but certainly not lacking in intensity. He wouldn't want to give Sousei a match unworthy of a guy with his sort of talent. ]

[And put some emotions into it he will. Almost too much--not enough to mess with his swordsmanship, but certainly enough to make it clear that he's not really quite okay. But it's Sousei, so that information comes in the sharpness of his swings, the way that he's fighting now to fight and win, not to have an interesting and fun spar; and for Sousei, those things are worlds apart.

He meets Shinpachi's swing with his own blade, but disengages rapidly; any sort of attempt at holding Shinpachi's blows while his arms are as tired as they are is simply not going to go his way. Instead, he lashes out sharply but neatly, a precise movement towards Shinpachi's wrist, aiming for the pressure point there.

Partly, Sousei knows Shinpachi can take this sort of fight, so he has no fears about doing it.

And partly, he's just too full of frustration, and anger, and sadness to do anything but fight like an asshole.]

[ Thankfully he's a little more used to Sousei's way of fighting now. It's not really like his own - since Shinpachi relies on a lot of strength in his swordsmanship and a mastery of technique that requires that sort of strength. He's not really one for low blows, or aiming for weak spots - unless it's absolutely necessary, but even then he doesn't quite enjoy it.

Sousei's low blow comes pretty quickly this time though, so he only narrowly manages to avoid having that wooden sword hitting his wrist. He knows Sousei's good with a sword, and Shinpachi knows his own weak spots - he doesn't want to be hit anywhere that means he'll have trouble holding a sword afterwards, no matter how briefly.

It means his comeback is a little weaker, easier for Sousei to dodge or block. He figures he's at least got to draw this out a little. The longer this last, the longer Sousei's mind is occupied with anything other than Tenka's departure. ]

[The longer this lasts indeed, though Sousei's really not going to last as long as he would like regardless. He's built up his endurance, sure, and has worked incredibly hard to be as skilled as he is, but he's been at this too long already today.

He dodges that comeback easily enough, lashing out again, this time towards Shinpachi's elbow. At the very least, the more Shinpachi proves he can handle it, the less Sousei feels any need to hold back on that aspect of things.

(Besides, plenty of his and Tenka's spars had ended when Tenka couldn't feel his fingers anymore, and it had been one of few ways for Sousei to beat his ridiculous strength.)

...He needs to focus, and stop thinking of Tenka.]

[ At this rate it's just going to be a weird sort of near-dance where he constantly tries to dodge Sousei's underhanded blows - not a fun fight by all means. Not that this fight is supposed to be fun as much as it's stress relief for Sousei, but still, a match's got to have a certain level of skill to it for it to be even vaguely enjoyable for anyone.

So Shinpachi does manage to strike back a little harder (at the price of a sharp hit against his elbow, but Shinpachi grits his teeth and swings on the best he can, he's had worse) even if it's also a little underhanded. He knows Sousei must be feeling the exhaustion, so rather than aiming at the fun, he aims at Sousei's sword, hitting it with as much of a force as he can. At least it means Sousei is going to have to work if he wants to remain a hold on the thing to begin with.

(And if he drops it - well, then he can pick it up and they can resume, Shinpachi doesn't mind getting a few bruises, and he's always told every student of his to just get up and try again after they were knocked on their ass. Even if Sousei is on an entirely different level.) ]

[It's a really shitty way to fight, and there's a reason Sousei doesn't typically spar this way. He's in a spar to practice, and learn about his opponent, and have a good match, but these movements are pure frustration and anger (because Sousei does indeed have a temper, even if it rarely shows itself), and Shinpachi has volunteered himself to be the unfortunate recipient.

He can take underhanded in return, and actually welcomes it; if nothing else, it gives him even more of the urge to carry on with this fight.

Of course, what he wants and what his body is capable of after hours of abuse are two separate things, but nonetheless he tries, and when Shinpachi's sword hits his own, he really does nearly lose his practice sword. He manages to clutch onto it by some miracle, but it takes him precious seconds to reaffirm his grip, which puts him back on the defensive again, even as he grits his teeth.

But at least he's focused now on the failings of his own body and endurance, and not on Tenka's disappearance.]

[ When you're a warrior, there's always something to be hard on yourself over, isn't there. But at least his own body is something Sousei can actually do something with, while he can only mull over the absence of Tenka - so it's at least a little bit more productive. A little less full of despair.

Even if it is taking a lot of concentration and effort out of Shinpachi to keep up with Sousei - especially since it's not just about the spar, it's also about observing, about trying to see what the other is thinking of.

That's what is important here, after all.

Not letting the other rest for a moment, he's already back on the offense, although hitting a little less hard this time - but he's quick to pull back and strike again after his sword hits Sousei's own. It doesn't come with the usual barter - not today. The only thing breaking the silence is the sound of wood striking wood. ]

[For now, it's enough.

Sousei can feel the drag on his muscles and limbs from how he already had overdone it before, but that doesn't mean he's about to give in; rather, he gives it everything he has even now, moving neatly with Shinpachi in their spar.

But it's a foregone conclusion and he knows it as well. He's able to get a few good strikes in, though Shinpachi manages to block them.

But it's as their swords meet again with one more strong strike that Sousei's drops from nerveless fingers; his arms are simply trembling too hard for him to continue to even have feeling in his fingers, much less continue to hold his practice sword.

Sousei can't even really say he's surprised. He frowns vaguely, flexing his fingers, but he otherwise doesn't move or so say a word. He's got enough to think about, it would seem--but he knows he's done.]

[ Shinpachi doesn't consider it a real victory, if not just since it wasn't what this match was about. It wasn't a fair fight, considering Sousei was already so exhausted - and from them sparring before he knows they're on an even level where sometimes he kicks Sousei's ass and sometimes Sousei kicks his own. It's just how it works.

So that doesn't matter. The fact that Sousei's sword is on the floor and that he's flexing his fingers doesn't matter. What matter is that he at least got to let something of it all out, even if Shinpachi knows it's not enough - it's just not that easy. ]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Or on Tenka.

[ He grabs the other practice sword off the floor before putting them away with the others along with his own while he speaks. ]

I know it's shitty, but.. you know he'll be back. That guy has the will of at least four bulls. [ Or more like the energy of that... But even if he won't come back and fate just sucks-- ] So come hang out with Sano and me sometime soon, 'kay? We'll have drinks-- my treat!

[ Shinpachi, you're broke.

Don't promise that when you're just going to cry to Sano asking him to pay... ]

[It may not be enough, but... it is something, and it's more than Sousei's had before. He's tired of people asking him if he's okay (he's not, but he'll always say he is), and tired of people trying to help him in various, overt ways. He's tired, too, of taking care of other people in ways that he was never meant for. That was always Tenka's job.

But they're here now, and Shinpachi isn't making him do any of those things. He's just there, and present, and reminding Sousei that no matter what, he's still not alone, and slowly, Sousei sighs, even as he flexes his fingers one las time and arches an eyebrow at Shinpachi.

And there's a bit more life in his tone when he speaks.]

Are you certain you have the money to treat me? I thought you never did.

[There must be a reason Shinpachi's always asking for free drinks, right?

(This is easier. Sousei wonders when it got easy, and then realizes it doesn't matter--he trusts Shinpachi.)]

[ He's not certain at all.

But Shinpachi is the king of bullshitting in these sort of scenarios, and right now he's just thinking that eh, whatever, he'll find a way - which is the worst thing and he'll probably curse his past self later for it, but whatever. This is about Sousei right now. ]

Hah, you don't believe me? [ He moves his hand to pound with it on his chest. ] This Nagakura Shinpachi-sama over here will take good care of you! Don't even worry about it!

[ He's so lame..... sorry, Sousei, this is what you have to put up with. ]

[He's incredibly lame....and Sousei snorts softly in response to that, under his breath, and he's tart when he responds to that with the inevitable:]

I don't need taking care of. [Ah yes, fiercely independent swordnerds...... Even so, he continues a moment later:] But if you wish to buy me a drink, I won't stop you.

[Or tattle on your husband......the brosquare needs to flipflop sometimes, it's okay. And there's life in his tone now, even if it's tart, which is really what matters; it's not the same dullness from before.

He'll at least leave the dojo behind for now, and that's improvement.]

[ There we go. It might not be a whole lot of progress, but honestly, Shinpachi wasn't expecting anything big anyway. Not when the loss of someone so important would hurt a lot. Just Sousei giving in to something simple, just the two of them drinking together.. that's already fine. It's a small step towards getting things a little more like normal again. ]

Same thing. [ Yeah, you're totally not escaping the being taken care of thing here.. but then again, that's pretty much what's happening here. It's the reason Shinpachi is even talking about buying him drinks to begin with. ]

But.. c'mon then, let's not waste our time standing around here then! The booze is calling our names, can't you hear it?

[He doesn't want to be taken care of!!! ...Though he's also a bit resigned to it. Yeah, he knows Shinpachi is going to take care of him whether he wants him to or not, so he may as well cave somewhat gracefully while he's not making it obvious that's what he's doing.

So he simply arches an eyebrow, but he also nods. Okay, okay, he's coming.]

No, I can't. If you can hear it, I'm concerned for your mental state.

[Is he joking... (probably)... but it's so hard to tell.

At least he's following Shinpachi out of the dojo now. Progress....]

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