- A few moments ago. With Kyojuro and Senjuro.
Steam rose softly from the bath, curling through the air as Kyojuro and Senjuro began to undress, wrapping towels around their waists.
"…Obanai-kun," Kyojuro said gently, glancing toward the quiet boy standing near the doorway. "You can take your clothes off too"
Obanai didn't answer. He only nodded once and began to undress, his movements slow and hesitant.
When the fabric slipped from his shoulders, both brothers froze.
The scar on Obanai's mouth was striking, yes... but it wasn't the only one. His entire body was marked. Scars, bruises, and old wounds that spoke of cruelty and survival far beyond his years.
"T-This…" Kyojuro breathed, his voice faltering. He looked away, the grip on his towel tightening. He didn't need to ask what had happened. Those marks already told a story darker than any words could.
Senjuro's eyes trembled, and he took an involuntary step forward before Kyojuro's hand stopped him.
Kyojuro shook his head slightly, his eyes firm though his heart ached. Don't ask, his gaze said. Not now.
He forced a small smile, trying to ease the weight in the air. "L-Let's start washing up, shall we?"
"Y-Yes…" Senjuro replied softly, stealing one last glance at Obanai.
Obanai said nothing. He quietly stepped into the water, lowering himself until the heat of the bath enveloped his scarred skin. The rising steam hid his face, but even through it, his silence felt heavier than the water itself.
--------
- Back at Kagerou and Shinjuro.
"So, you killed that Hand Demon, huh?" Shinjuro muttered, rubbing his chin as he listened to Kagerou recount his time during the Final Selection. "And with a woman? Are you really my Kagerou? Not some demon pretending to be him?"
"You…" Kagerou stared at him, his voice caught between disbelief and irritation. Of all the details in his story, that's what his father focused on? "Seriously? That's your takeaway? Not the part where I survived the Final Selection, but that I worked with a woman?"
"Well~" Shinjuro replied with a straight face, his tone deliberately casual. "In your case, yeah. That's strange"
Kagerou blinked slowly. "…You're unbelievable"
"Ah, there it is," Shinjuro smirked. "The usual grumpy Kagerou I know"
"Fuc-"
"Father! Kage-nii! We're done!" A familiar voice interrupted him before he could finish.
Both turned toward the sound.
Standing there were Kyojuro, Senjuro, and the newcomer, Obanai, now dressed in Senjuro's spare clothes. The snake was gone for now, coiled quietly elsewhere.
"Oh, you're done? Good," Shinjuro said, standing up and stretching his shoulders. "Let's eat something first, shall we?"
"Nah, we already ate before you came back," Kagerou replied, exhaling a puff of smoke from his kiseru. "But we left something for you. Go eat with Obanai... I'll stay here"
Shinjuro nodded slowly, then looked toward his other sons.
Kyojuro and Senjuro exchanged sheepish glances before giving the same answer. "We already ate too, Father"
Shinjuro stared at them in disbelief. "…You all ate without me? Unbelievable. Am I still the head of this family, or just some guest now?"
Kyojuro scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah, well, it's Kage-nii who cooks this time, and the food smelled good, so…"
Senjuro looked away, trying not to laugh.
Shinjuro sighed in defeat, shaking his head. "…Tch. Fine. I guess it's just you and me then, Obanai"
Obanai blinked, surprised, but nodded quietly.
"Come on, kid," Shinjuro said as he walked toward the kitchen. "Let's eat before they steal the leftovers too"
As they left, Kagerou leaned back on the engawa, exhaling a slow breath of smoke. A faint, weary smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"…Kage-nii," Kyojuro's voice gently broke the silence. He walked over and sat beside Kagerou on the engawa, the wooden floor creaking softly beneath him. Senjuro followed close behind, his small hands clutching the edge of Kagerou's haori as he settled on his other side.
Kagerou placed his kiseru aside, smoke fading into the breeze before turning toward his brothers. "…What?"
"Kage-nii, I think I'm ready now," Kyojuro said suddenly, his tone steady and filled with conviction.
"…What?" Kagerou echoed, tilting his head slightly.
"I mean your Smoke Breathing," Kyojuro clarified, his eyes burning with determination. "I'm ready to learn it!"
Kagerou stared at him for a moment, unreadable. "…Have you mastered Flame Breathing?"
"I do! I can already use all the forms of Flame Breathing, almost!" Kyojuro said proudly, then added, "But I think I'm ready to learn your style now!"
"…Almost, huh?" Kagerou raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly. "Then tell me, Kyojuro, can you forget all of it?"
"Huh?"
"Kyojuro, smoke isn't about power," Kagerou said calmly, his tone shifting into something quieter, colder. "It's about absence"
Kyojuro blinked, uncertain, but Kagerou continued.
"It's not about how bright you burn, but how completely you fade. Smoke Breathing isn't meant to clash, it's meant to erase. You don't fight your opponent; you end him. Silently. Invisibly"
He tapped a finger against his chest. "To use Smoke properly, you must first forget yourself. Forget your strength. Forget your pride. Let the world forget you too. You must believe you don't exist, that you're nothing but smoke, drifting… ready to vanish with the wind"
The soft wind carried his words, brushing across their faces.
"…To deceive your enemy," Kagerou finished, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "you must first deceive your friends… and then, yourself"
The silence that followed was heavy. Even Senjuro, who had been sitting quietly, lowered his gaze.
Kyojuro clenched his fists on his knees, his flame-like spirit flickering with unease. "…To forget myself, huh… That sounds… lonely"
Kagerou looked at him for a long moment, then, faintly, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It is"
"But-"
Kyojuro didn't see it coming. Kagerou's hand moved almost lazily, then-
*tap*
The end of his kiseru landed softly on Kyojuro's head.
"Later, alright?" Kagerou said, smoke still curling faintly from the pipe. "Smoke Breathing requires extreme control. You have to be able to launch all the Flame Breathing forms as easily as turning your palm before I'll teach you mine. Got it?"
Kyojuro rubbed his head, looking up at his brother. "So that means… I just need to keep practicing?"
Kagerou nodded once.
"Alright then! I'll continue my training!"
And before Kagerou could even respond, Kyojuro was already sprinting toward the backyard, his laughter echoing against the wooden walls.
Kagerou could only sigh, watching his brother's fiery back disappear beyond the shoji.
"He really doesn't know how to stop," he muttered, a faint smile ghosting across his lips. Then he turned his head toward his quiet little brother. "Senjuro?"
"…Kage-nii," Senjuro said, glancing around as if making sure no one was listening. Then, in a near whisper, he added, "I don't think I'm suited for Father's breathing style… Can I learn yours instead?"
For a heartbeat, Kagerou said nothing. Then, a low chuckle escaped him as he lifted Senjuro up and placed him gently on his lap.
Senjuro blinked in surprise, his small hands clutching Kagerou's sleeve.
Kagerou rested his chin on the boy's head, his voice soft. "Don't rush to be strong, Senjuro. You don't have to. Not yet"
He looked toward the backyard, where Kyojuro's shout rang out once again.
"For now," he murmured, almost to himself, "let me be a little selfish, let this brother of yours protect you both a little longer"
Senjuro's small shoulders relaxed under his brother's arm.
The morning wind drifted through the open shoji, carrying with it the faint scent of smoke.
"Kage-nii," Senjuro murmured softly, wrinkling his nose a little, "you smell like smoke"
Kagerou chuckled, a low, easy sound. "Hahaha~ Let it be"
And for that brief moment, the Rengoku house felt at peace again.