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Lucky for us both I'm not interested in being endearing to you.

[to be quite honest. anyway he's going to drink some of the tea he brought. because of course he brought tea and is pouring two cups and giving one over to sousei

it was probably meant to lessen the following mockery]

So.... when did you start liking cats?

I don't have any interest in cats.

[OBVIOUSLY...... Sousei's eyes do flick to the phone in Tenka's hand before he picks up his tea instead.]

If anything, it is a joke at that man's expense, not mine.

[which inspires another very important line of questioning-]

What do you think yours says?

I have no idea. It would be more concerning if I did, I think.

[Finally, he reaches down to pick up Tenka's phone and read about his match.]

...Hm.

Do you think it says that you're obsessed with cats too?

[But really Tenka doesn't hesitate to let Sousei read his.]

I've never even met the guy in mine though. [a very put out sigh] Why couldn't I get a cute girl....?

[...]

You don't deserve to have a cute girl in situations like these, if that's your first thought.

Since when do you get to decide who I deserve?!

I'm just assisting people who wouldn't know how to put up with you.

[you're welcome]

Keep your assisting to yourself!

[HOW ABOUT NO

though

it has been ten years.... he's not so sure.]

Are you interested in such things? [finding a lady and settling down]

What things? [dating profiles? oh wait-] Oh... cute girls?

[ . . . and Tenka just snorts before shrugging at that.]

Well, it's one of my goals! Before I die I wanna get married to a cute girl and have three kids. That's the dream!

Is that so.

[It's a rather neutral response, but...that's one of Tenka's goals? He really had no idea. Seems like things change, in a way, over ten years' time.

... Isn't that just emulating Tenka's father, though...? He supposes that that's only to be expected, though.]

...That's not a bad goal.

I don't need you to tell me that.

[Seriously, Sousei. Tenka's just laughing as he eats the rest of his food.]

I had a lot of time, you know? I want to see all of Japan if I can, eventually settle down and have a nice family, and well - my brothers and Shirasu would've taken care of me into my old age. I was gonna live in luxury!

['Old age,' he says. As if he didn't know from the second that he signed up for those experiments that his time was limited.

Oh well.

He called it a dream for a reason.]

[... you're an asshole, Tenka. Sousei's quiet for a long moment at that, taking that in. Live in luxury to his old age, huh.... Finding a nice family, settling down, making another nice family...

...]

I don't intend to shoulder that dream alongside you.

[quite frankly. It's not his to pick up, not like the Yamainu was.]

You will have to accomplish it yourself--so you had better not slack off.

Haaah? Are you going to live the bachelor life forever, Sousei? How lonely....

[To be honest. Tenka's actually not sure how he feels about that. Sousei, why do you suck at human interaction sometimes.

As for accomplishing it.... Tenka just smiles at that.]

Well... it's a list of goals, at least. I see no reason why I wouldn't at least try.

[In all honesty. He'll boast about all the things he wants to do but... there's too much chaos in his world right now to even think of a peaceful time where he could have a family.]

It isn't. [Lonely, that is. Sousei just tilts his head in response to that, giving Tenka a level look in response. He doesn't suck at human interaction, okay, he's just not interested...!]

I intend to continue to devote my life to protecting our country. [That's enough for him.

... but yeah, there's that.]

There will be time to try harder when we have succeeded at the Yamainu's task. [And the Orochi is gone...then he'll think of other things.]

Are you going to keep the Yamainu together then?

[Even after the Orochi's gone. Because it's the only way that Tenka could think of it being manageable to keep serving the country. If it's them - if it's the Yamainu - they could do anything.

He still believes that.]

[Honestly, he hasn't really thought that far ahead. It seems...silly, when there's no guarantee they'd be able to take down the Orochi. It's always been a ridiculous plan, and now it's even more foolhardy.

But the answer is still obvious. It always has been. They were a force with a purpose, and when that has been accomplished...]

...No. After we have accomplished our purpose, I intend to disband the Yamainu.

[It seems like the only way to properly wrap everything up--pay tribute to Taiko's wishes in originally creating the force in the first place.]

Huh?

[Honestly, it surprises him. Because for one, don't they report to the Minister of the Right? Even if there's obviously some friction between them and the old man now.

But two....]

... That's gonna be a sad day.

[Dad's team ending up disbanded. As much as Tenka understands, it's still strange. He hasn't even seen the whole team, aside from the one incident with Naoto, in ten years. He hasn't been a part of them in just as long, no matter what Sousei may say. And then they'll be disbanded?

It's hard not to feel like he's missed out, but more than that - he'd always thought of them as family, distantly.

Is it really possible to disband a family?]

[... Sousei blinks at that. And...yes, maybe he can admit to himself that he'd be sad. He will be sad, rather. The Yamainu have been his family for many, many years--his only family, really, alongside Kumou-sensei and Tenka and Kiiko.

But he will disband them, and he will allow them to go their separate ways, as they please. By then, they'll have done their duty. They'll be able to be proud. He doesn't intend to keep them attached to a purposeless squad.]

...Will it? [Sousei straightens then, expression easing. He's very certain about this one.] We'll have accomplished our duty then. We'll have managed to do what needs to be done, and everyone will be able to leave with honor.

[...]

It will be a happy day. That threat will no longer loom over us any longer, when that day comes.

[ . . . tch. So much for being gloomy. Tenka can't help but tilt his head a bit at that, moderately surprised. Where'd the grumpy and expressionless little Abe boy from Tenka's youth go? That one hardly believed that they had any more purpose than to be used as pawns, much less things like duty and honor.

It's enough to get him to laugh, brightly and happily.]

Buahahaha! If you say so, Yamainu-san.

[Except for once he's really not mocking. He left the Yamainu for a lot of different reasons and he'd told Sousei that he should lead them in the middle of their argument. And honestly - didn't that turn out so well?]

You know your squad better than I do.

[Ah Tenka...of course, Sousei is like this because of the impact Tenka made on him as a child. But then, they both know that. There's no need to rehash what is obvious to the both of them.

Instead, he accepts that name--"Yamainu-san", and it is accurate, and he won't deny it--and nods once, simply. He does know them best; they're his squad. He knows their habits, their dreams, their hopes. He wants to help them reach those.

And they will. After the Orochi. So very soon.]

...Of course. I have spent ten more years getting to know them. [...but.] We may be disbanded, but they will not disappear. You will still have time to get to know them as people.

[Just...not as the Yamainu. And that's fine.]

[Tenka just chuckles at that. Of course Tenka wants to get to know them as people - he always wants to get to know people. It's just a strange thought that the group of people he met through his father, through this squad he made.... will no longer be in that squad.

But there are worse things, he thinks. So he's just shaking his head fondly.]

Oi, I better! I'm still talking about you guys coming over for dinner once all the rough stuff is taken care of. It'd almost be like old times when we went over to our house after training.

You can probably be the one to convince Ashiya to come this time around, right?

[Yeah you'd better focus on getting to know them as people. They've been very neglected by you, Tenka. Neglected.

...Right, Ashiya.]

He will come. [SO THERE.] Don't concern yourself with that.

[Because quite frankly, Ashiya is part of the family too, and Sousei is certain of that. ~~no more living in a box now~~.]

It will be...worth doing. [Not like old times, but........ close enough, maybe.]

[Don't talk to him about neglect when he's the one who raised two kids and a ninja since he was 13, assholes.

Anyway.]

Of course it's worth doing. It's the Yamainu at the Cloudy Shrine! It's been way too long - I think the old place has missed you guys.

[Also Tenka has missed them and maybe that's the closest he can get to really admitting that since he doesn't feel like he has the right to since he's the one who made the choice to leave.

But the last time they were all at the shrine, Tenka was just staring after their retreating backs. He'd rather return to the practice of having happier memories than that.]

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