The Day of Thunder

"In honor of my elders, of course", he nodded. He managed a grin, then pulled his mask up over his nose. "So kids, house, serving a god...how's all that going for one of only old Hikaru left?"

"I thought you had some of that annoying swagger we used to have up in the mountains. Going fine. Beats chasing goats all over the damn mountains with flint-tipped arrows and praying I don't slip, that's for sure..."

He cocked his head.

"But you're a young one. So. Mother, father, or both?"

"Father", he said, and his voice took on a rougher quality. "Toji, went to go serve Bayushi before the old holdouts were absorbed into the clan."

"He adhere to the wonderful Hikaru school of parenting? You know, the one where after teaching yo everything except how to deal with people he goes off and dies somewhere?"

"Just about, but not before he gave me a few layers of skin off his knuckles", Norikage said evenly.

"Sounds like he was keeping the old ways alive and well."

Sora grimaced.

"Toji, Toji... oh, that little runt! A few years behind me, and always so eager to prove how tough he was."

"Well, he turned into a murder clown, from my understanding..."

At least that what it means in the Scorpion clan when they say 'he served his lord with excellence', anyway...

"I met an old fart from the tribe a few years ago, before I was sent to Kashouji, he said Toji was married to a hell of a woman. Shame I didn't get to know her."

"That... hm. Y'know, when I left, he was just starting to get interested in girls. Me?"

He gestured to his eye.

"I didn't really let myself think about it much. Whole world had things in it I was never going to have, why add more burdens, you know?"

He shrugged. "I'm handsome and unmarried, some gaki poked you in the eye and you serve high up with people who have personal experience with Tengoku...so, life is secretly fair."

"Just a matter of time and place, Bayushi-san. My wife certainly wasn't an expected development, but we met on the trip South, and, well..."

He shrugged.

"I can only assume she went temporarily mad, because she proposed."

"Surprises are nice", he countered. "Maybe one day I'll get a pleasant one."

"Could be you will, if you live long enough."

Sora cocked his head at the younger man.

"How the hell old are you, anyway?"

"I've yet to see twenty three winters, chief.". A slight preen, the exalt of youth, clearly

Sora snorted.

"At your age I hadn't even met the Boss yet. I was just starting to think of tromping down from the mountains toward the Seppun lands to see what all the fuss was. You'll have your shots at happy surprises yet."