estoria | [open]

Entry tags:

[open]

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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[Tenka's disappearance made him worried. When he's just slowly getting used to him and maybe, maybe starts to count him as one of the people he can learn to trust in, he's gone. Just like that.

Will that mean any one of them will be next? His brothers? Haru? The other swords?

Sayo blinks, before he answers.]

...I finished my homework, so I'm on a break.

[That's...not what he's asking for...]

[...well, Sayo's not wrong. That is indeed a status report.

Sousei pauses, and then nods.]

I see. [He won't dismiss a good status report, okay!!!

...But he'll have to be more clear.]

And how are you doing otherwise?

How am I doing?

[That question... Physically speaking, he's fine and dandy. Emotionally speaking? He's not sure. Along with being awkward about putting his feelings into words and you have an awkward sword spirit.]

I'm... doing fine. [Nope.] But...

[He's worried.]

[...Yeah, that doesn't exactly seem "fine" to him.

But Sousei just inspects him patiently, quietly.]

...But?

[He turns his gaze to look at his pets again, watching them play around. As much as a cat and a caterpillar can do. Sayo is quiet for a moment, wondering how to say this.]

Can anyone just... be gone like Tenka-san?

[Will Sayo wake up one day and see one of his brothers gone? If Haru disappears, the other swords would definitely kick up a fuss, but...]

...Yes. It can happen to anyone, as far as I know.

[Sorry... he doesn't have any good news to deliver these days, but the last thing he wants to do is lie about it, even to try to make Sayo feel better.]

There is no clear reasoning for who disappears.

[Sayo wouldn't want to hear lies, even if they're nice to hear. He wants to know the truth, so he'd know how to feel and think. How to prepare himself in any way.]

And... there's no way to stop it?

[A hint of his worry and selfishness is showing. He doesn't want his brothers to disappear. He doesn't want Haru to be next.

(he doesn't know if he wants another reason to hate)]

Not that we know of. Not yet.

[He knows what Sayo is worried about. His family is here. He doesn't want to lose them.

It's only natural to feel that way, isn't it?]

It could happen to anyone at any time, from what I have seen.

[After the debt collectors situation, Sayo's desire to stay with his brothers only get intensified by a strong degree. He knows that if his brothers or his master are next, he would react very badly to it. If it's possible, he would do anything to keep them self.

Anything.]

...Can he return?

[He doesn't understand anything about their "code", but he does understand there's a war and they're needed, for whatever roles they haven't been told of. The way he sees it, if they need Tenka, wouldn't they bring him back?]

He may. There are people who have returned before. The possibility is there.

[Tenka might return, and Sousei would be happy if he did, but...he knows better than to just hope for a miracle without working towards it himself.

They have to figure it out themselves.]

There is simply no guarantee.

[There's no guarantee. He almost expected to hear that. It would be far too simple, too hopeful and easy if things work as they want.]

...I see.

[It doesn't mean he have to like it. Because when there's no guarantee, that's essentially saying they may never see him again.]

Is... there anything I can do?

[He's been helping out around the house. But Sayo usually likes having orders to follow.]

[He wasn't expecting that offer. Sousei blinks, but he can hear the plea in that sort of tone, and in those words. He has a squad as well, of course.

He's familiar with wanting orders to take your mind off of difficult situations.

So, rather than decline that, he comes up with some.]

Look after your brothers. Souza and Kousetsu could also use the support, I believe.

[....and...]

Do not overdo it. You must take care of yourself first, before you can properly take care of others.

[Looking after his brothers. He can do that. They already did so much for him, he wants to do something for them and more. Sayo knows what his brother went through and wish to help them.

He's just not that good at comforting them.]

Understood. And... I'll take care of myself. If I don't... it'll be harder for me to take revenge.

[The words slip out from his mouth easily, like it's a normal response to his orders.]

[...What?

Sousei wasn't expecting that leap of logic at all, and his brow furrows ever so slightly as he processes that.]

...What do you mean?

[He'll at least let Sayo explain himself.]

[He looks up at Sousei with a calm expression.]

Revenge. It's what I fight for.

[Before he's reunited with his brothers, it's the one and only truth to him.]

[wh.....what.]

...Why?

[He's trying to figure this out, he really is, but that's not what he was expecting to hear from Sayo.]

[He kind of... expected that reaction. Not everyone outside of the army knows of his story.]

Because it's what I'm used and was sought for.

[Saemonzaburo's blades are fine works by themselves. Sayo simply remembers how much interest people have in him when they learn his story. He have long since accepted it.]

[...okay, okay, wait. He's getting the story in bits and pieces, starting in the middle.

And so, with the faintest of sighs, Sousei shakes his head.]

Sayo. Start from the beginning. You said before you would be willing to tell me your story.

Please do so now.

[Sayo blinks, before he nods.]

Okay.

[He waits a bit to see if Sousei would just stand there, or sit down. Well, his story isn't really that long, so he will start.]

[When he speaks, his voice is calm and steady. The beginning of the tale isn't that hard for him, so to speak.]

I was a nameless tantou under my old ronin master's care. He lived with his wife and their young son. But one day... [Was it the master? The wife? His earlier years are vague to him.] ...he passed away from an illness. With just his wife and their son left behind, they needed money to support themselves. So his wife decided to sell me for money.

[Money... In a sense, that's what started it for him.]

In order to do that, she have to pass through the area known as the Sayo no Nakayama. It's... known for having many bandits and thefts there.

That was where she was killed and I was stolen from her.

[Sayo looks back at his pets, lost in his memories of that time. The faint memories of that scene, and the bandit's hand on his hilt.]

...I was with the bandit for a long time and used as he wish for his crimes. [Theft. Murder. The voices of hatred he killed and can still hear in his dreams.] Until he stopped and took me to a sword polisher.

The sword polisher apprentice he met was... my old ronin master and his wife's son.

[Can you see where this is going, Sousei...]

When he learned of his mother's murder, he vowed revenge and became a sword polisher's apprentice in hopes of finding the bandit. His only clue was me, because I have an inscription on my blade.

[His hand moves to his sheathed sword and lightly grasp it.]

He recognised me by my inscription and asked the bandit where he got me. After he confirmed the bandit was the murderer... he used me to kill him in his revenge.

[The moment when the sheer force of the emotions impacted him. It felt as if in that moment, Sayo became more... aware of his existence. He softly recite some lines.]

"Like the blind sea turtle who seeks for his floating log in the vast ocean,
I have waited so long for this opportunity of a lifetime where the flowers of Udonge would bloom..."

He... said that as he killed the bandit, because he waited so long to have his revenge. [Revenge. He can almost feel his desire for revenge to return, to continue his duty and to quieten the haunting voices.] ...The tale impressed the lord of Kakegawa Castle, Yamauchi Kazutoyo. He became a retainer and I was given to the lord as a gift.

While I was in his care, Master Hosokawa Fujitaka learned about me and requested to have me many times.

[The dark tone from earlier softens, as he think of the odd master and human he once had.]

...Once I was given to Master Fujitaka, he named me Sayo Samonji after a poem that mentioned Sayo no Nakayama.

[Yes, Fujitaka... named the tantou after the place he was stolen at. At least it's not as literal as Candlestick Cutter.]

I stayed with him and his family until his son, Hosokawa Tadaoki, sold me during a famine to feed the people. I was passed around until I was in a private collection before Master Haru summoned me.

[It's an intense story, and Sousei sits for it, settling himself neatly at the table as Sayo speaks. He doesn't interrupt, listening quietly, eyes never wavering from Sayo's face as he tells it.

It's a harsh story, but not an unfamiliar one; not because he knew Sayo's story, but rather because he lives in a time that is rife with such things. Crime is at an all-time high; murder and theft are only natural.

And when the story is done, he slowly breathes out, trying to think of what to say.]

...And what is the purpose Kure Haru has given you?

[Sayo looks back up at Sousei. The purpose he was given by Haru.]

To fight against the enemies who seek to change history.

[Although Haru didn't wish for revenge, Sayo still fights for his own personal desires. Because if history changed... depending on how far the change is, his own might get affected. His personal history and many others.]

I was summoned to join the army and to preserve history, that is my current mission back home.

[He nods; that lines up with what Kashuu had told Sousei too.

But he wants to hear it from Sayo. The thing Sayo is fighting for right now...

He straightens, with a captain's poise and posture.]

Are you fighting for revenge, in following those orders?

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1/2

2/3 or maybe this

3/4 i lied

4/4

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