Sengoku BASARA: Open to Interpretation [Kojuurou, Sasuke]
Title: “Open to Interpretation”
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: G
Timeline: post-Episode 1x08
Summary: Sasuke tries to get to know Kojuurou.
Disclaimer: Sengoku BASARA belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and whatnot.
A/N: insanishvikkixd requested KojuSasu… but I just can’t see them as a pairing. T_T Sorry. Here’s some gen instead. It’s pretty vague, but strongly connected to some of Kojuurou’s actions regarding Masamune.
OPEN TO INTERPRETATION
The fields of Kai lie silent, light pre-dawn mist floating over them like a silvery veil. It reminds Kojuurou of home, of all the sunrises he has observed from the top of the hill where his favourite garden has spread.
“Mystery’s solved,” someone behind him declares.
Kojuurou casts a glance over his shoulder and spots Sarutobi Sasuke standing a few paces away. The ninja grins.
“What do brave generals do when there’s no one to fight? They watch things grow. That’s the kind of the unexpected that even I wasn’t about to expect.”
“I’m an enthusiast,” Kojuurou says, reservedly.
He turns back to the fields, the fragments of green silk that sleep in their infinite calmness. Back in Oshuu, they impart that calmness to him, grounding him and clearing his mind. Kai is a generous and hospitable land, yet it does not produce the same effect.
Sarutobi watches him. He is not hiding his curiosity. Kojuurou appreciates that openness coming from a shinobi, so he plays along.
“What do shinobi do when there’s no one to spy on?”
Sarutobi shrugs, unpretentiously. “A bit of this, a bit of that. Socializing, sleeping, teaching Sanada-danna life.”
He comes abreast with Kojuurou and gives him the you-know-what-I-mean kind of a wink. Kojuurou, after a brief moment of doubt, returns a small I-know-what-you-mean smile.
“Apart from that,” Sasuke goes on, “whoever says there’s no one to spy on? There’s always something interesting going on.”
“Would that include guests from an enemy country staying in your master’s house?”
Sarutobi narrows his eyes, catlike, derisive, then nods curtly.
“It’s going to rain,” he says without looking up at the sky. There is tell-tale smell in the air, and by the time the first thick drops fall, Kojuurou is already walking towards Takeda’s house and Sasuke is crouching somewhere only to reappear in the veranda several minutes later, placing a cup of tea on the wooden flooring.
Kojuurou has no choice but to sit down.
A thin puff of smoke is rising over the teacup. Kojuurou didn’t even realize how cold his hands were before he picked it up.
After a half-hearted peal of thunder, the rain starts falling. It lashes out with strong, sidelong streaks that aim precisely at the stone wall, at the roof, at the shrubs in the garden, in perfect symmetry.
Kojuurou feels like glass, splintered at the core, with cracks widening towards the jagged edges. He gets the feeling Sarutobi understands and he is thankful that Sarutobi does not try to say anything.
“Last I heard,” the shinobi says, “the One-Eyed Dragon didn’t make any noises in his sleep. So he’s not in pain and is probably watching some nice dreams right now. He needed it, by the looks of him.”
Kojuurou thinks it over. Feels the katana handle collide into his lord’s body as if it were his own. Hears the soldier cry out after Masamune-sama desperately.
“Masamune-sama can be… difficult.”
Sasuke snorts.
“Are you kidding me? Difficult is Oyakata-sama’s unofficial title!”
Kojuurou frowns slightly. He does not deem himself to be in any position to discuss the lords behind his back. He does not idealize Masamune, far from it, but…
Rain slashes through the air, cold and white and determined.
“I’m not looking to pull the carpet from under your feet, Katakura-dono,” says Sarutobi, amicably. “Just making an observation. You don’t really like shinobi, do you?”
“I make a point of not judging people by their profession.”
“That’s not an answer. I like you, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Kojuurou replies, stiffly, after a brief pause. Sarutobi appears to enjoy making people feel uncomfortable. It reminds Kojuurou of Masamune when the latter is bored.
The rain changes course abruptly. It grows lighter and sinks down like weightless silvery dust, soundless at the backdrop of thunder rumbling in the distance.
Kojuurou takes another sip of tea only to find that it has cooled down.
“Shinobi’s loyalty is always to their village, not their employer,” Kojuurou says. He doesn’t know why he even pursues the subject. “That makes them unreliable.”
“Think of it as an insurance,” Sasuke chuckles. “Keep them happy, and they won’t betray you. It’s a simple deal really. What’s your excuse?”
Kojuurou surveys him over the cup. He is the man that has pledged his name, body and soul to the Date clan and its young leader in particular, and he has never thought of looking for an excuse for that.
Rain crashes down in waves, like an ocean, pecking at the walls and the roads. Kojuurou catches himself hoping it will not wake Masamune-sama up. He has always been such a light sleeper.
“For the record,” says Sasuke, “Sanada-danna adores dango. When he drinks, he needs something salty to eat afterwards. He is absolutely clueless that half of the female population of the nearest village fancies him. His greatest dream is to see Oyakata-sama unite the warring states. Oh, and Oyakata-sama’s punches have healing powers, although I suspect it only works on Sanada-danna.”
Kojuurou knits his eyebrows. Why would Sarutobi be spilling all that load of seemingly innocuous details to him? Does he expect something in return? If so, that is out of question.
“I’m making a point,” Sasuke explains. “Priorities change. Who do you think spends his time-off trying to get Sanada-danna to stop stammering at the sight of a cute girl looking in his direction? And who tears up the tea shops, looking for his favourite sweets? Shinobi get paid to know these things, not do them.” A small smile flickers on his face. “Care is the one thing money can’t buy.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“We’re not so different, Dragon’s Right Eye. We go about things our own way and yet we care, sometimes a little too much for own good. Isn’t that right?”
Kojuurou chuckles. “You are assessing me.”
“Like I said, I like you.” Sasuke winks at him. “I’m always nosey with people I like. It’s part of the job description.”
Kojuurou raises his eyes skyward. The clouds are beginning to clear away.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for them, he thinks placidly, is to know that we are right.
July 20, 2010
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: G
Timeline: post-Episode 1x08
Summary: Sasuke tries to get to know Kojuurou.
Disclaimer: Sengoku BASARA belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and whatnot.
A/N: insanishvikkixd requested KojuSasu… but I just can’t see them as a pairing. T_T Sorry. Here’s some gen instead. It’s pretty vague, but strongly connected to some of Kojuurou’s actions regarding Masamune.
OPEN TO INTERPRETATION
The fields of Kai lie silent, light pre-dawn mist floating over them like a silvery veil. It reminds Kojuurou of home, of all the sunrises he has observed from the top of the hill where his favourite garden has spread.
“Mystery’s solved,” someone behind him declares.
Kojuurou casts a glance over his shoulder and spots Sarutobi Sasuke standing a few paces away. The ninja grins.
“What do brave generals do when there’s no one to fight? They watch things grow. That’s the kind of the unexpected that even I wasn’t about to expect.”
“I’m an enthusiast,” Kojuurou says, reservedly.
He turns back to the fields, the fragments of green silk that sleep in their infinite calmness. Back in Oshuu, they impart that calmness to him, grounding him and clearing his mind. Kai is a generous and hospitable land, yet it does not produce the same effect.
Sarutobi watches him. He is not hiding his curiosity. Kojuurou appreciates that openness coming from a shinobi, so he plays along.
“What do shinobi do when there’s no one to spy on?”
Sarutobi shrugs, unpretentiously. “A bit of this, a bit of that. Socializing, sleeping, teaching Sanada-danna life.”
He comes abreast with Kojuurou and gives him the you-know-what-I-mean kind of a wink. Kojuurou, after a brief moment of doubt, returns a small I-know-what-you-mean smile.
“Apart from that,” Sasuke goes on, “whoever says there’s no one to spy on? There’s always something interesting going on.”
“Would that include guests from an enemy country staying in your master’s house?”
Sarutobi narrows his eyes, catlike, derisive, then nods curtly.
“It’s going to rain,” he says without looking up at the sky. There is tell-tale smell in the air, and by the time the first thick drops fall, Kojuurou is already walking towards Takeda’s house and Sasuke is crouching somewhere only to reappear in the veranda several minutes later, placing a cup of tea on the wooden flooring.
Kojuurou has no choice but to sit down.
A thin puff of smoke is rising over the teacup. Kojuurou didn’t even realize how cold his hands were before he picked it up.
After a half-hearted peal of thunder, the rain starts falling. It lashes out with strong, sidelong streaks that aim precisely at the stone wall, at the roof, at the shrubs in the garden, in perfect symmetry.
Kojuurou feels like glass, splintered at the core, with cracks widening towards the jagged edges. He gets the feeling Sarutobi understands and he is thankful that Sarutobi does not try to say anything.
“Last I heard,” the shinobi says, “the One-Eyed Dragon didn’t make any noises in his sleep. So he’s not in pain and is probably watching some nice dreams right now. He needed it, by the looks of him.”
Kojuurou thinks it over. Feels the katana handle collide into his lord’s body as if it were his own. Hears the soldier cry out after Masamune-sama desperately.
“Masamune-sama can be… difficult.”
Sasuke snorts.
“Are you kidding me? Difficult is Oyakata-sama’s unofficial title!”
Kojuurou frowns slightly. He does not deem himself to be in any position to discuss the lords behind his back. He does not idealize Masamune, far from it, but…
Rain slashes through the air, cold and white and determined.
“I’m not looking to pull the carpet from under your feet, Katakura-dono,” says Sarutobi, amicably. “Just making an observation. You don’t really like shinobi, do you?”
“I make a point of not judging people by their profession.”
“That’s not an answer. I like you, by the way.”
“Thank you,” Kojuurou replies, stiffly, after a brief pause. Sarutobi appears to enjoy making people feel uncomfortable. It reminds Kojuurou of Masamune when the latter is bored.
The rain changes course abruptly. It grows lighter and sinks down like weightless silvery dust, soundless at the backdrop of thunder rumbling in the distance.
Kojuurou takes another sip of tea only to find that it has cooled down.
“Shinobi’s loyalty is always to their village, not their employer,” Kojuurou says. He doesn’t know why he even pursues the subject. “That makes them unreliable.”
“Think of it as an insurance,” Sasuke chuckles. “Keep them happy, and they won’t betray you. It’s a simple deal really. What’s your excuse?”
Kojuurou surveys him over the cup. He is the man that has pledged his name, body and soul to the Date clan and its young leader in particular, and he has never thought of looking for an excuse for that.
Rain crashes down in waves, like an ocean, pecking at the walls and the roads. Kojuurou catches himself hoping it will not wake Masamune-sama up. He has always been such a light sleeper.
“For the record,” says Sasuke, “Sanada-danna adores dango. When he drinks, he needs something salty to eat afterwards. He is absolutely clueless that half of the female population of the nearest village fancies him. His greatest dream is to see Oyakata-sama unite the warring states. Oh, and Oyakata-sama’s punches have healing powers, although I suspect it only works on Sanada-danna.”
Kojuurou knits his eyebrows. Why would Sarutobi be spilling all that load of seemingly innocuous details to him? Does he expect something in return? If so, that is out of question.
“I’m making a point,” Sasuke explains. “Priorities change. Who do you think spends his time-off trying to get Sanada-danna to stop stammering at the sight of a cute girl looking in his direction? And who tears up the tea shops, looking for his favourite sweets? Shinobi get paid to know these things, not do them.” A small smile flickers on his face. “Care is the one thing money can’t buy.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“We’re not so different, Dragon’s Right Eye. We go about things our own way and yet we care, sometimes a little too much for own good. Isn’t that right?”
Kojuurou chuckles. “You are assessing me.”
“Like I said, I like you.” Sasuke winks at him. “I’m always nosey with people I like. It’s part of the job description.”
Kojuurou raises his eyes skyward. The clouds are beginning to clear away.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for them, he thinks placidly, is to know that we are right.
July 20, 2010