To share a moment ((Closed RP, Yukimura, Sasuke))

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Having received a gift, Yukimura wanted to share it with the person here who was the closest to him, the one he had the least amount of time to just enjoy time together with. He sat in their room next to the low table that served as a desk and a place to eat, the gift on it, two cups, one filled with tea, the other waiting for the arrival of his shadow. He picked up his tea and sipped. Soon. The cookies smelled really good, though.

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[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

Sasuke arrived shortly after being summoned, expecting Yukimura to want to go another few rounds. It seemed sparring and other preparations for the eventual confrontation with Karasu were now the sole focus of their time together—not that Sasuke minded; Yukimura's safety was really the most important thing to him—so it was a pleasantly unexpected surprise to see Yukimura apparently had other plans for the moment.

He stepped out of his geta by the door as he closed and warded it behind himself (the latter was purely second nature by now), then knelt across from Yukimura at the low table, laying his sheathed sword on the floor beside himself. It was always kept within easy reach.

"Is everything all right, Yukimura?" he asked, curiously looking over the arrangement of tea and cookies.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura smiled and poured the tea for Sasuke. "Everything is fine," he said with a laugh. "A-kun sent me some cookies and told me they were better shared, so I wanted to share them with you." He reached over and ruffled Sasuke's hair. "Besides, it's been a long time since we've just talked about anything other than that black bird and things related."

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"That was nice of him. Any special occasion? Or just because?" He eyed the cookies a little less warily at that. A could probably be trusted not to put any bizarre enchantments on what he baked, unlike the food that was left unattended in the Great Hall.

He helped himself to one of the square cookies first before sipping his tea. "Oh... It's really good," he said with mild surprise. He hadn't known what to expect. "Very sweet."

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura thought back a moment. "For a kimono, I believe. He seems to enjoy cooking." He picked up one of the round cookies, examining it before continuing, smelling it as well. "He seemed to think that it was a shame I didn't know what these were." He took a bite and raised an eyebrow. "Quite sweet," he said when his mouth was clear again. "Interesting combination of textures."

After finishing the cookie, he picked up his cup. "Have you enjoyed your time here, Sasuke?" he asked gently.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

Sasuke couldn't help smiling a little as he remembered seeing A in the kimono. He hadn't looked bad in it, even if he had sort of been crossdressing and all, probably unknowingly.

"Mostly," he said in response to Yukimura's question, and picked out a different type of cookie to try. Yukimura could certainly guess why it wasn't a completely affirmative answer. "Aside from all the demon business, things have been... getting easier." 'Things' having to do with his prior feeling of uselessness. "It's nice to be learning new things and meeting new people. Do you like it here?"

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"Mostly?" Yukimura repeated, ignoring for now Sasuke's question. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I am quite pleased you are here," he said softly. After a moment of watching Sasuke, he asked, "Is there anything you would have me do?" It was, perhaps, an odd question from him, but he truly did care about Sasuke's happiness above anyone else's he knew here. If the shinobi indicated any of his activities bothered him, he would stop them.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

The question was clearly unexpected, causing Sasuke to look up in surprise. "No," he said, sounding uncertain. He wasn't sure how to interpret the question. Did Yukimura still think he was to blame for anything? "What do you mean?"

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"Ah, well," Yukimura began. "It's that you seem...upset with me? I do not question your loyalty," he assured Sasuke. "However, it feels different." He looked down at his cup. "What I have done," he began and stopped. He looked up at Sasuke again. "If anything I am doing here bothers you," he said. The words were surprising him, possibly as much as they would Sasuke.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"I do wish circumstances were different—I don't like that you've been threatened, but I feel like I'm of use to you now... that I'm actually able to help." He sighed as he realised he was talking about the demon again. There was just no escaping him.

And other than the situation with Karasu... there were only so many things Yukimura could be referring to. He frowned.

"I don't care who you spend time with. Or what you do with them." Though even as he said it he wondered, not for the first time, it that was really true. Still, it was none of his business, so long as Yukimura's safety was assured.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"But?" Yukimura prompted, seeing the slight hesitation in Sasuke's face. He couldn't read enough to know just what caused Sasuke to hesitate, only that it was there. Sasuke was the only person here, or quite possibly at all, that he would give up such activities for, if the shinobi indicated that they bothered him.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"But nothing," Sasuke said, trying, and failing, to sound more certain of himself. His frown deepened as he dropped his gaze to the table.

"It's none of my business, anyway," he tried instead, voicing his earlier thought. That he possibly felt the slightest bit bothered on some level by what Yukimura got up to with others was bad enough, but then not even knowing why he felt that way was much worse. How could he give Yukimura answers he didn't have?

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"So you say, but that is not how it feels?" Yukimura said softly. "Is it that you wish me to stop or...?" he let the question trail off. Only if Sasuke was in a place to suggest it himself would anything ever happen. He wouldn't try to seduce his shinobi. That would only end badly.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"No, I don't think I want you to... stop." He didn't want to take anything away from Yukimura, or make any ridiculous demands, he knew that much. It simply wasn't his place to do so even if he'd wanted to, even if Yukimura would let him.

'Or'... Or what? He hadn't ever really considered the other possibility—not taking something away, but giving—mainly because he'd never had any interest in those sorts of things. He wasn't hoping to be a substitute for people like Kaga, and he already well knew Yukimura wasn't the sort of person to request that of his followers, though it was his right to.

Of course, now that the suggestion was hanging there between them, Sasuke had a hard time ignoring it.

In lieu of answering further, he sipped his tea as he thought about things.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

This had become a more awkward conversation than anticipated. Yukimura picked up another cookie and looked at it. "But, it does bother you on some level?" he said softly. He sighed. "Will you tell me what you think, what you feel?" he asked. "I would much rather have things between us be more amiable, regardless of what it takes."

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

For Sasuke it was less awkward and a bit more... enlightening, as he pondered the mechanics of sex, though he still didn't understand what the big deal about sex was. Perhaps when he'd been physically aged up via hexed food he should have tried more than just getting drunk.

"I'm not sure if 'bother' is the right word," he said after a moment, risking a quick upward glance. "And I'm not upset with you, like you think I am." Mostly, he was confused. "I would tell you if I knew myself," he mumbled before finishing his cookie.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Sasuke's confusion was almost palpable. Yukimura watched his shadow a long moment before he said, "When you figure it out, please tell me. Or, if there is anything I can do to help you, anything you wish to discuss." He smiled a little. "I'm here for you as much as you're here for me," he promised. He almost reached out to touch Sasuke's hair, but stopped himself before it was more than a thought. He didn't want to add to the shinobi's turmoil.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

Sasuke probably wouldn't have minded being touched, since he wouldn't read too much into it. That aspect of his relationship with Yukimura was, for the time being, still clearly defined and easy to understand. It was other aspects that were subtly shifting.

"I will," he said, offering a small smile, relieved the matter wasn't being pressed. "And thank you." He paused, seeming to sigh. "I don't want you to worry about me. Or... think anything has changed." Fear was part of his confusion. He liked how things were with Yukimura, and change wasn't always for the better... so why did he feel the way he did?

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

This time, Yukimura did reach over to ruffle Sasuke's hair. "Of course I worry about you," he said. "You're important to me. And being here is a change. I just had time to get used to it. That maybe what you need?"

He poured them both more tea. "I want you to remember, Sasuke, that anytime you have need of me, all you need to do is say so."

He picked up another cookie. "I hear there is a magnificent tree in the forest. Have you seen it?"

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

He shrugged in response to Yukimura's first question. He'd been there himself long enough to have adjusted. He was as comfortable as he ever would be, surely. No, Hogwarts probably wasn't the problem...

"I know," he said quietly. "I do trust you." Implicitly. Hopefully Yukimura didn't think trust was even an issue.

"Magnificent how? I've seen some very impressive trees, but not any one that really stands out."

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"I know," Yukimura replied. "And I you," he added, just as softly as Sasuke had spoken.

"Kurama said there was an ancient tree in the center of the forest, that it was a mother tree. I have not seen it, but the way he speaks of it, it sounds wonderful."

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"A mother tree..." He hadn't heard of such a thing, but it wasn't surprising. He probably knew of them under a different name. "Did he tell you how to find it? We should see it for ourselves." The 'we' was automatic; he wouldn't mind if Yukimura didn't want to go. "It's easy not to get lost on the paths I already know, but I don't know the way to the center."

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura thought a moment. "He hasn't told me much more than it is in the center. He may have to take us there, but I can ask if it is someplace we may go without his assistance." He took a sip of tea and another bite of cookie. "From what he says, the Sea of Trees would have had to have one. It makes a forest more alive, or something like that. They may protect themselves, then?"

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

He liked Kurama well enough, but hoped it could be something he and Yukimura could do alone. But if not, it didn't matter too much. Having Kurama there might actually be a good thing, to prevent any more awkward questions Sasuke didn't know the answers to.

"Most likely they do. The Forbidden Forest is different even from what I'm used to," Sasuke admitted. "There are whole areas filled with magic that seems to subtly repel. Like you'll start going in a different direction than intended without even realising it until you're already miles away."

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Yukimura asked with a laugh. "That is quite remarkable. What happens if you try to continue on in your original direction, or return?" He was sure that Sasuke had tried. He also decided he would ask Kurama about reaching the Mother, if it could be done with just the two of them.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"I don't really remember... I think the forgetfulness is part of the magic, too. I haven't found any counter-spells that work against it yet." He'd been researching them, naturally, when not busy preparing for the business with Karasu.

"I like that the forest protects itself well," he added as he sipped his tea. He'd been too preoccupied before to notice that it had a good flavour. It went well with the cookies.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura nodded. "That is a good thing, indeed. I'm sure that there are many who wouldn't regard the forest as a living thing. I've read some of their news. It's quite appalling, what people will knowingly or unknowingly do to each other and the things around them." He sighed and smiled at Sasuke. "I much prefer the simpler things we fought for. Things are even more muddled now."

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

Sasuke shook his head, his expression darkening as he was reminded of something. "There's a famous dark wizard who wanted world domination—to enslave the non-magic people... Muggles? The wizard was accepted here recently. I've read about him in history books here. And I guess he's allowed to go unchallenged now because he's at Hogwarts."

He found everything Grindelwald had once stood for innately wrong and dishonourable, and doubted that spending time in his own prison had changed the wizard much. There were undoubtedly worse people currently at Hogwarts, but that hardly lessened the horrors Grindelwald was personally responsible for.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

"This place does seem to have little in the way of taste," Yukimura commented. He considered a moment. With their limited resources, a two front battle would be unwise, but if the black bird and this wizard moved at different times, it may be possible to watch both of them. Karasu was a more active threat, he thought at the moment. "We'll keep an eye on him, see how things develop. This place has changed a lot. It may be that he'll be thwarted by those changes or discouraged by them." More information on the situation now was needed before a decision could be made.

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

"I wish there were a way to play the wizard and demon against each other," Sasuke said, looking down at the table again in thought. It certainly wouldn't be a loss if they destroyed each other. That might also save some innocent people from getting hurt or even killed. More importantly (to Sasuke, anyway), it might keep Yukimura out of the fray entirely...

He sighed. It wasn't as though he lacked faith in Yukimura's skills, he just worried. About every eventuality.

"The wizard—Gellert Grindelwald—is very old now," he continued, offering what information he had. "I think that may lead others to underestimate him, like they do with me because of how I look. But he's probably the type of wizard who can do all his magic by thinking about it, and doesn't even need a wand. If he and Karasu somehow became allies..."

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura regarded Sasuke for a long moment before a smile curved his lips. "You have been watching me," he said with a laugh. "You're right. If they can be played against each other and the fall out contained, that would be a good solution. Far superior to their allying with each other. The how, though, that will require some consideration. I shall make an effort to meet this Grindelwald and see if a conversation reveals anything."

[sasuke-sarutobi.livejournal.com]

He raised an eyebrow, then looked a little embarrassed. "Of course I've been watching you. And I still have a lot to learn from you..."

He didn't bother hiding his anxiety over Yukimura's decision. "He may be even more powerful than the demon... be careful with him." Completely unneeded advice, but Sasuke felt it was worth stressing. "Especially if he tries to convince you he's changed, and I bet he will." Which would be a dead give away he was planning something, so far as the shinobi was concerned.

[elegantsamurai.livejournal.com]

Yukimura nodded, taking Sasuke's advice in the vein it was intended. His more obvious concern, his willingness to voice it, had Yukimura believing that the earlier part of their conversation would have results, as soon as the shinobi was clear on his own mind. Just exactly what those results would be remained to be seen.

"I will be cautious when I meet him. At first, I'll just want to see where his priorities are. While he will need to be watched, there may be a chance that his goals and the demon's are mutually exclusive or different enough that they will not align or cross. But, even if he cannot or should not be brought to our side, steps can be taken to work him against the demon."