sunshrouded | x IC INBOX

[That much manages to get Tenka to raise a brow.

Admittedly a lot of his rules are strictly jokes for the sake of conversation, though they definitely do have merit. But at the same time....]

Well, remember how we were as kids?

Chuutarou and Soramaru are already better than that but a household without any rules is just asking for trouble.

[Tenka has rules about his booze fund. There are rules about Chuutarou doing dangerous things by himself. There are other rules about whether or not Tenka's brothers get to tag along with him when he's about to apprehend dangerous criminals.]

I am the rule, technically.

[... ... ...]

Braggart.

[That's all he has to say to that. Because honestly? Tenka has done a good job of raising his brothers. It isn't easy to raise children, and he was all alone in that, until Shirasu entered the picture.

But he raised them with a lot of love and care.

That is why they are the good children they are.]

...Soramaru and Chuutarou have been raised well.

I know I'm awesome, you'll admit it eventually.

[It's sort of his automatic response-

Except he pauses at Sousei's next comment. Were Soramaru and Chuutarou raised well? Tenka stares up at the ceiling in thought, because god, he'd like to think so. He'd like to think that he did his job as an older brother well and passed down all the love that he received from Mom and Dad and given it all straight to his brothers. They're the only blood family that he has and he'll protect them with absolutely everything he has in his being.

But were they raised well? Tenka just laughs at that, thinking of how the villagers would often tell him how warm it is in the shrine, even despite the loss of their parents.]

They made it easy on me. They were already great from the start - I'm just happy they were born as my brothers.

[His brothers are his everything. They're the origin of his strength and the reason why he smiles every single day. Even if Tenka was the eldest brother, nothing made him grow up faster than his brothers. They raised him well too.]

[... no, he really won't. Probably. If he does, make sure he's not dying okay.

But regardless, Sousei's not surprised by that answer. Tenka does always swing right back to humble about the things that really matter.

That's how he knows that this is one of those things that really matters, as if he needed any further clues. Instead, he just nods simply, accepting that response.]

Of course they were, and are. [They have good genes--of course any offspring of Tenka's parents, and his foster parents, would be amazing.

They were amazing people, after all.]

I would not have expected any other outcome.

[It just makes Tenka chuckle faintly.

No other outcome, huh? It's almost ironic, considering the fact that there were plenty of other outcomes when you leave a 6 year old and an infant to be raised by a teenager.]

Yeah. The villagers of Otsu wouldn't have let it be any other way, to be honest. [Which is followed up by a fond enough sigh. They'd gone to see the virtual Otsu, which was fun in and of itself, but nothing really beats the people who are actually back home.]

Chuutarou's still growing though... I gotta make sure he didn't do too much of it without me.

[...Raised by the villagers... it seems about right. Honestly, Sousei is glad that Tenka had that, at least. He and Kiiko had the older members of the Yamainu to pick up where Taiko had left off, but...honestly, they were already mostly grown.

Tenka, too, grew up too fast.

Maybe that's just...how it was supposed to be.

In response, Sousei just gives an affirming noise, because obviously you shouldn't, Tenka, don't be stupid.]

...He is too much like you. I will have to ask Sasaki to spend more time with him when we return.

[To make sure he doesn't turn out too much like Tenka--that's too much Tenka for the world to handle.]

So she can crush him underneath the heel of her boot?!

[SOUSEI WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO HIS LITTLE BROTHER]

[???]

What do you think of her? [JEEZE] She has assisted in looking out for them. [Since your "death"]

[This is enough to get Tenka to sit up, looking vastly distressed as he looks over at Sousei.]

I think she's inflicted grave injuries on the men of my family so far!! You've never been punched by her - you don't know.

[AND ALSO-]

She's way too beautiful, too! Soramaru's already going through that weird stage in his life where he's looking at girls, I don't need Chuutarou to start!!

[PUBERTY?????]

[IT'S YOUR TURN TO GET SHUSHED, TENKA--]

You're going to wake them, if you continue to carry on like this. [jeeze.]

[...and then, more seriously--]

She is there to tell them about their brother, and the things he would not tell them himself. [About the Yamainu, and their parents, and shenanigans, and old, old stories.] As they requested.

[ . . . . . . . and he just lets out a huff at that before flopping back onto the futon. Fine.]

Well... It was dangerous for them to know about those things.

[It would make it harder to laugh - he didn't want that for them.]

No helping it now, I guess.

You underestimate them as well.

[Constantly underestimating people, Tenka.

On the positive side of things--Sousei, his brothers, Kiiko... and on the less positive side, Shirasu, Naoto and the like.]

It's a bad habit. [They'll be fine.]

Yeah? You think telling them about the spirit that might invade our family line and lead to them killing their friends and innocent people would've brought them joy?

[It makes Tenka roll his eyes.]

I started enough fights with you over it when we were kids - I didn't want to introduce something like that into their lives when they didn't need to know yet.

[Even before Mom and Dad died, there was still something looming over Tenka's head. It's the exact reason why he didn't want Soramaru to meet with the Yamainu either.

What would've happened if he grew attached to the people who might've tried to kill him one day?]

[Well......... joy? No. But does he think they could have handled it? Yes. The response to that is mostly wry more than anything, but he simply shifts his gaze away from Tenka's.]

Secrecy was not necessarily the better option.

[But honestly? He wasn't there, so he doesn't have the right to say much more about it. Tenka's choice was Tenka's choice, and who knows if it was for better or worse?

...That does bring up something else that does strike him as rather more important, though...and he frowns slightly to himself.]

... You were right, then. [It's...a little reluctantly said. But. As kids, when Tenka fought it so hard--he was right.]

I'm always right.

[Which is why he does think that secrecy was the better option... but then again, Tenka's priorities have always been different from Sousei's. Tenka only wanted his brothers to live their days in laughter and warmth, as opposed to his own troubled childhood, thinking that he might have to kill his own friends one day.

So for a moment, he pauses, tempted to leave the conversation as it is and roll over and go back to sleep.

.... but this is honestly something important if Sousei's bringing it up so he's just sighing softly then.]

But.... I just couldn't bear the idea of having to kill one of you guys. Dad would take it on so easily and I thought that maybe I was disappointing him by not having the same will. [ . . . . he sighs and despite himself, his hand reaches over the blankets and is held in front of his face. The bracelet that's meant to be an instrument to contain the Orochi is still on his wrist.]

I just didn't want to think that there was only one way to end the story of the Yamainu: Unsung Heroes of Japan... you know?

[Seriously, he'd be fine with rolling over and going back to sleep. He really would. He doesn't necessarily want to have to talk about this.

But he probably shouldn't shirk away from it now. Because...it really is important. He only wishes it hadn't taken Tenka's death for him to realize how right Tenka legitimately was--

But he's certainly not going to say that. His eyes follow the movement despite himself, drawn to the bracelet on Tenka's wrist as well.

... Unsung Heroes of Japan indeed. Unwitting tools of a corrupt government. That would not be the end of their legacy, not if Sousei had anything to say about it.]

...Regardless, you were right. [He's...not sure what else he should say. Sorry? For all of the fights that he started over it, so determined to follow in Taiko's footsteps... who knows.]

That will not be the ending we create.

[Tenka's hand falls then, moving back to go underneath the blanket because it's cold alright, he'd rather not deal with it. But then he's just snorting faintly at that because-]

Let me savor this moment of you admitting that I'm right about something important.

[Because despite their tendency to give really parallel advice to the same kids that are important to them, they do have a miraculously to actually butt heads sometimes when they're still talking now. So Tenka will happily claim this moment of victory, even those arguments are ancient by now.]

[..... ... ........]

Shut up, Tenka.

[Succinct and certain.

Ah yes. This is familiar.]

[So familiar.

But Tenka's just going to laugh before rolling over to turn away and he's settling his head on the pillow now, yep.]

G'night, Sousei.

[By all rights, he should kick Tenka out. This futon is not big enough for both of them comfortably, and they really aren't children anymore. But if Tenka really does need this, after a week of being passed over and incorporeal...

Sousei really can't seem to bring himself to.

And it certainly doesn't help that he could not find Tenka himself, that entire time.

So in response, he settles down to catch a few more hours' sleep as well.]

...Goodnight.

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