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The merchant had been walking away when he noticed it.
“Stop.”
Of course, Sakamoto Tatsuma didn’t stop, because he was the one in charge here.
“Listen to me. What happened to your hand?”
Now Tatsuma stopped, turning his head slightly. He wasn’t surprised Nobunobu asked, he knew the question would come up eventually. His scar was always a conversation starter. “Oh, this?” He turned around and twisted his wrist, revealing his palm and the scar that crawled along his skin, dipping behind his sleeve. He hid the rest, still, not pulling his sleeve back. “War.”
Nobunobu scrunched up his face, and Tatsuma laughed. Tatsuma being a samurai was news to Nobunobu, and it caught him off guard. This guy was a fighter, yes. But he used guns . Never had he imagined this guy could swing a sword, and especially not with...
He still hadn’t touched his food.
Tatsuma hummed. “Revoltin’, isn’t it?”
Nobunobu didn’t respond. The question felt loaded, somehow. Tatsuma put his hand back down and let out a laugh. “I grew up rich too, y’know. My family was merchant samurai. I had a brother who worked at the castle; my father sold sake. Somethin’ we’ve both had in common, we worked hard to be where we are. You, well, yer shogun. You’re the top, just under the emperor, but you hold all the power. I’m a CEO of a giant intergalactic company.
“We’ve started at the peak, and we’ve ended at the peak.”
Nobonobu’s expression hardened. “Where are you going with this?”
Tatsuma hummed. “Unlike you, I was brought down from that peak. I fell to the base of the mountain; I landed hard. My hand will never fully heal now. I can’t hold a sword, it shakes often, gets stiff in the cold. It constantly hurts.”
“All I did was ask what happened to your hand.” The shogun turned his head away a bit. Tatsuma smiled a bit.
“And I’m tellin’.” Just not in the way he wanted.
A sigh. “Cut to the chase,” Nobunobu barked.
“Yer usin’ that voice again. Y’know, the really demandin’ one.” Tatsuma made talking mouth gestures with his hands. “Do y’know you do that?”
He enjoyed teasing the shogun like this. And Nobunobu sure seemed mad, immediately puffing up like a tiny dog trying to make itself look bigger in front of a great dane. Tatsuma knew his kind. His kind were spoiled people who were never insulted, or else. But Sakamoto Tatsuma was the one in charge here, and it was time to knock the other down a peg.
Tatsuma pulled up a cushion and took a seat in front of Nobunobu. “It was my last battle. We were out fightin’ the bafuku. I took my group back to help the bafuku soldiers who were left behind once the retreat was sounded. We got attacked by a rogue. I was the only one who survived, but was badly wounded.”
Nobunobu was dead silent as he listened.
“I was given this.” It was then that he slid up his sleeve, revealing how far the scar twisted. He noticed the shogun’s face twist and scrunch in horror once again. “Let me ask again: revoltin’, isn’t it?”
“...Yes,” he finally answered.
Tatsuma nodded. “Do y’see now?” He smiled. Despite everything he said, the man still smiled. “You’ve never left the cushy lifestyle of a politician, but I’ve left the cushy lifestyle of a rich merchant’s son. Yeah, I’m a rich merchant myself these days, but who says it’s easy after hittin’ the bottom?”
A silence filled the room between them. Tatsuma watched Nobunobu for several seconds before standing up again, brushing himself off. He turned to leave once more.
“How?”
The question caught Tatsuma off guard. “How…? How I did it?” He hummed. “That’s a story for another time, Shogun. Maybe once you reach the same bottom I have.”
He walked out the door, geta clanking on the metal floor, and the door sealed shut behind him.
“Sakamoto Tatsuma.”
His voice wasn’t the same kind of demanding it has used to be, it was rather hoarse, and Tatsuma smiled a bit to himself as he looked up from his work. He was dirty, bloody, but still had an air of good vibes surrounding him like he always did. “I’m busy, but do ya need anythin’? Some cough drops?”
Nobunobu inhaled a bit. Cough drops or maybe even some warm tea would be good, but… “No, something else. I’ve come to ask about how you got back to the peak. Your peak.”
Tatsuma made a questioning noise before he stood up and brushed himself off. He had taken his coat off and rolled up his sleeves, and Nobunobu’s eyes drifted to his scar once more. He took in a breath. His face didn’t scrunch up in horror this time, however, and a small smile twitched for just a second on Tatsuma’s face. He observed a lot more than he let on. “Yer implyin’ you’ve hit the bottom.”
An embarrassed expression seemed to creep across Nobunobu’s face. “...Yes. I have.”
“Are ya sure?”
Nobunobu stared at the other. Was he...? He gave a nod. “I don’t know where to go from here.” It showed on his face how reluctant he was to state this, and Tatsuma smiled. He cleared his throat and put his hands on his hips.
“Oh, young pupil, with courage you have told me your weakness, and the universe has told me that you are ready for your training,” he said gruffly, and Nobunobu stared. Weakness? T-Training…? Hard work? The slight disgust crossed his face, and Tatsuma burst out laughing. “That face! Priceless! Yer still pretty spoiled!”
Spoiled, huh…? Nobunobu smiled a bit.
“So are you.”
“Ya got me there.” Tatsuma bowed.
What an interesting man, Sakamoto Tatsuma.