Chapter Text
It was quiet. It usually was, as none of them ever had anything to say. As none of them ever really knew what to say, because what was there to say about the things you didn't understand? Oboro would speak sometimes, point something out that caught his eye, usually something in the way other people behaved. Sagiri never really seemed to listen, and Shigure never quite understood what it was that he was supposed to be looking at.
So it was quiet. Shigure's eyes darted over to Oboro. The man didn't really have an expression on his face, all he did was blink every so many seconds. He was reading something, but Shigure didn't know what it was, and he wasn't going to ask about it.
He wanted to, sometimes. To ask what Oboro was reading about. If it had anything to do with their 'new life', or if it had anything to do with Nether Gate. But he never did, because something was holding him back. Not too long ago, Oboro had been his superior. The man had been many times his superior, and even though the man had told him, them, over and over again that they were allowed to say anything that was on their minds, Shigure didn't feel comfortable enough to do so.
He did want to, but he couldn't. Not yet.
Oboro looked up from his papers and stared Shigure dead in the eyes. He moved the corners of his mouth upwards, attempting to form a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. “Is there something wrong, Shigure?”
Shigure quickly looked away from the older man and briefly shook his head. “No, sir.”
“I could almost feel you staring at me.” There wasn't a hint of threat in Oboro's voice. There were no emotions there whatsoever. There was no comment on the fact that Shigure had referred to him as 'sir' either. Oboro knew that old habits died hard.
“I apologize.” Shigure suppressed a sigh and looked through the window. There was a cat outside, a black and white cat. It seemed to be stalking a prey, body pressed against the ground, moving forwards agonizingly slowly. Shigure knew what would happen. It would continue to sneak up on its prey, and then, in one swift motion, the animal the cat was stalking would be killed and eaten. Shigure knew, because he, too, could move agonizingly slowly, only to strike quickly once before his target would hit the ground. He had never eaten his target though, he had just left them behind to bleed to death. For a split second he wondered how many people he had left behind like that, but he quickly turned his attention to something else. He didn't want to think about the gurgling sounds of the dead right now, they were already present enough in his dreams.
Shigure moved his head to glance at Sagiri. She was sitting across from him, her head leaned against the wall, her eyes were closed, the corners of her mouth lifted in an eternal smile. He could hear the soft sounds of her breathing, she seemed asleep. Or half asleep, as Shigure knew that Sagiri was very much aware of everything that was going on around her. Still, she seemed rather relaxed, a state Shigure couldn't manage to reach at that moment, even though he was normally the lazy one around.
Actually sighing, Shigure stood up and stretched his limbs. He had been sitting in the same position for too long, and his muscles were starting to hurt. He avoided looking at Oboro, and instead focused on a random stain on the wall. This place could really use a fresh layer of paint, he thought to himself. Maybe he could try his hands on that. Painting couldn't be too hard, right?
Unsure of what to say, he made his way to the door, fighting back the urge to ask for permission to go outside, as he knew he didn't need it. He opened the door and stepped out, the wind instantly hitting him, blowing strands of red hair in his face. Shigure ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the deck. He liked the wind, there was something comforting about it, but his hair was starting to become a pain. He considered cutting it off again, but worried that his reflection would then remind him too much of what he had looked like back then. Letting it grow, though, would probably...
His train of thought was interrupted by the sight of the black and white cat he had seen hunting earlier. It was now walking around with a bird between its jaws, probably looking for a quiet place to have dinner. Shigure snorted. “Well, ya gotta eat, I guess.”
Oboro had looked up from his papers again and shaken his head as the younger man, boy, had left the warmth of their new home. He had wanted to say something. Something to ease Shigure's mind, something comforting, something educational, just something... anything. But he had not known what to say. Just because Oboro had a better understanding of the world around him, it didn't mean he knew everything, and it certainly didn't mean he understood everything, either. A lot of the things they were forced to deal with were new to him, too, and intelligence alone wouldn't help him fix everything. He didn't know what would, either, but he had a feeling something good would happen eventually. It had to. Not for himself, but for the kids, because they deserved better, they deserved the world.
Something good would come along. He was sure it wasn't a matter of if, but more a matter of when. And until then, he would practise a smile, attempt to motivate the kids to do something new, and try to set up a business.
They would make it. Eventually. He was sure of it.