Open Sky Yet Not [KHR Fanfic]

Target 22: Reconcile (1)

The way of the sword, Yamamoto had promised his father, should be used to protect those important to him. His friends (what good are they when their friendship had always been too fragile? The demon in his head taunted) and his family (not with how weak you are currently, the demon continued to mock) were the ones that he held close to his heart.

Sometimes, though, he wondered if he had made the right choice.

His grip on his bamboo sword tightened as he made another practiced swing. He had been so focused on his katas that he didn't notice the other person that had entered the training dojo.

"Takeshi."

Yamamoto came to a sudden halt, startled by the voice of his father. "O-Oyaji!"

"You want to learn how to use the sword?" Yamamoto Tsuyoshi said, startled at the sudden request that his son raised upon entering their family restaurant.

"Yeah!" Yamamoto Takeshi grinned, putting away the baseball bat he always seemed to carry. "Can I Oyaji?"

"..." His father gazed intently into his son's eyes as if searching silently for the reason of the boy's sudden interest. He sighed softly when he found something that he had wished he didn't. "Takeshi, you..."

"Oyaji..." The younger spoke, voice melancholic as amber-brown eyes took a sudden dark yet sad turn. "If... If I had taken interest earlier, learned it earlier... then maybe - maybe Ka-"

"Enough." Tsuyoshi returned his gaze back to the kitchen knife he held steadily over a raw tuna he was in the process of cutting. His eyes glazed as the past seemed to come back haunting. "Everything is in the past, Takeshi. You should not look back."

"..."

"You should continue doing what you like," Tsuyoshi advised as he continued slicing down carefully. "That's the only thing I - we wish for you."

Yamamoto remained silent, quietly watching his father work for a few minutes before speaking again. "I want to protect someone, Oyaji."

Tsuyoshi paused once again but did not look up.

"But... but I wasn't strong enough." Yamamoto balled his hands tightly into fists and shoulders trembled. "That someone may be safe now but what if - what if it happens again? I can't just stand by and watch him get hurt in the future!"

There was tension in the room before Tsuyoshi finally sighed in reluctant resignation. He settled the kitchen knife down, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked out - though not before giving Yamamoto an instruction.

"Follow me."

Yamamoto brushed the memory away. That had been two years ago - and he wondered if he had done the right thing back then. He couldn't help but think of the 'what if's' that could've happened if he hadn't gotten involved. Maybe he would never have --

"You sword in becoming dull." Tsuyoshi gave a blunt appraisal, arms crossed as he leaned against the entrance of the dojo for who-knows-how-long.

Yamamoto blinked, slowly relaxing his stance.

"If you keep practicing like that, your path will become limited."

His amber-brown eyes flashed in alarm before bitterness wash over, but he quickly hid it behind a closed-eye smile. "Haha, sorry Oyaji, I'll... I'll..." 

 "I don't need you guys."

Yamamoto slowly came to a halt when he realized he wasn't sure where he was going with this. All of this.