PARTING VISIONS [FEAT. SANO]

The spectacle wouldn't go unnoticed by the very man who somewhat orchestrated it. After all, Sano wanted to see what his men were capable of, and some part of him wanted to see if Irie's skill had diminished at all. The former wasn't anything more than he expected, and the latter was nothing less than he expected, for one who attained strength as frightening as Irie's was certainly not likely to let it diminish. As far as she could help it, at least.

He arched a brow though, a bit surprised that the combatant couldn't even give her a decent warm up in spite of her strength being restricted. Sano sighed quietly to himself over the disappointment, though he would simply voice it as something to consider while training. He supposed he couldn't blame them, however. His own skill was equal to Irie's at best when it came to hakuda, and only when she restrained her strength. He couldn't help but chuckle upon remembering the first time she broke his leg. Well, a leg, both arms, his sternum and a few ribs. Fond memories!

With his reiatsu concealed and expertise in stealthy movement, Sano probably could have saved the man from the painful experience. However, he was one that believed that the best way to learn and achieve was through suffering first. He suffered long for centuries to get to where he was, and knew he would continue suffering if he wished to become stronger. That wouldn't stop him from using his stealth after the fact, appearing a few feet behind the woman and silently approaching as to not interrupt her healing process and potentially cause the man more pain.

"I should probably add some sparring gear to this dojo so that doesn't happen every time...," he would finally say once he felt that the healing progressed enough for intense concentration to not be necessary. Then again, he was no medic so he actually wasn't sure at all.

Her words brought forth a chuckle, though many who didn't know her apart from being Hinaai's daughter would not expect such language. Sano, on the other hand, had long since gotten used to it. He was familiar with many facets of the Jukan heir that others dare not try getting close enough to see, though he would have to admit that there was more of fate's strange plays to it than any intent between either. Whatever caused it, it worked for them. Neither required romance or sexual gratification, just a consciousness capable of understanding the other and being able to grant comfort in that fact alone.

"Well, at least they have their pride..," he muttered in dry sarcasm, hoping the one being healed heard him. After all, the Onmitsukidō are told to abandon their pride in the battlefield to secure victory. While such a mentality even bothered one of his longevity, at least he had developed such a repertoire of skills that the Onmitsukidō mantra became more of a last resort than a combat template. Those subordinates of his who were far less capable, however, were the ones he wished would consider it.

"Hey!" he replied with a glee that paled in comparison to what others considered happiness, but those who knew him would understand it to be just about the zenith of his expression of joyful emotion. As long as he had known her and as close he had gotten to her, Irie was still a bit of enigma to him. He knew so many facets of her persona that he sometimes questioned which one was the real. But, at the end of the day, it came down to the familiar tsundere expressions.

"I've been watching long enough, I think. But I also think it's been too long. I swear it feels like you've actually grown an inch or two since I last saw you."

Something told Sano that his words failed to reach Irie. A few seconds of no response, or even focus, from Irie confirmed his suspicions. His standard reaction to something out of the ordinary was to raise an eyebrow, and this case would be no different. Irie wasn't the type to space out, so there was certainly something of concern going on. His eyes trailed up and down the female's form a few times before Sano understood the situation.

"Don't worry about it." This time his eyes weighed heavily upon her to make sure she was still focused. At first he was concerned that she was poisoned or something similar. While he could not recognize any evident symptoms of such, he was able to see something most weren't capable of recognizing on eyesight alone. Tension. Overall body language and areas of twitching guided Sano to an understanding that stress was the cause of her sudden lapse, and he understood that she had her reasons. She probably hadn't even given herself a break since her mother's death, even though no one would blame her for it.

"Follow me." His words were a bit more serious than the tone he normally took with Irie, but his concern had seized him for a moment. A hand gesture to the rest of his men would let them know to continue training, as he began to walk away from the sparring area. Should Irie follow him, she would find herself guided to his living quarters.

It was a relief that he hadn't lost her on the way, though he had a feeling that embarrassment for her previous space-out kept her from allowing it to happen again. Her words brought a slight smile to his face, easily mistaken for a smirk given the nature of his facial expressions. The light chuckle that followed would most certainly reveal his feelings towards her statement.

"I think we know each other well enough to say that a lecture wouldn't get us anywhere--," his response seemed interrupted by his self-induced displacement, causing his form to fade from the room as his physical being moved to the kitchen. He would return moments later with two comes, steam dancing atop the rims as he motioned towards a coffee table with his face. Two cushions were already laid out for kneeling purposes, as Sano was prone to having tea with his company.

"Surely you have yet to give yourself any time," he began while setting one mug down in front of where he expected Irie to sit. His words mainly referenced the recent passing of her mother, though he felt that it would have taken more than that to affect her so much. As he sat down, he would blow into his own mug before looking to Irie with sincere concern.

"There are things that need not be said, but I am around if you need me. And, even if there is nothing you wish to vent, one cup of tea on its own can be quite relieving. No duty, no judgement, no pressure. Just a time-out from life for tea."

She didn't resist, and Sano could only allow himself an internal sigh of relief to avoid making her uncomfortable. She was normally quite the hassle. Given her behavior, he could only assume that the burden may have weighed heavier than he initially thought. She would sit and silently watch her mug, and Sano couldn't help but wonder what weighed so much. Was it her mother's "death" alone, or was there more to it? As she broke the silence, he would find a start on the path to the answer.

"Is that all?" he responded, his tone half-joking. He had known her for quite some time, and there was a colorful index of strange and hostile things he had heard her utter. Deep down, aside from trying to alleviate her discomfort with a moderate amount of humor, he couldn't help but wonder if that actually was all that she said. He would take a sip from his tea before looking back to the girl's face, taking note to the slight smile on her face. He offered a slight chuckle, though it was at the thought of the far more volatile words he had witnessed her utter in past times.

"I can hear the love in that one, though."

He was a bit worried about her reminiscing, wondering if it would bring more pain than help, though it seemed to be working for her. Even so, he would be lying if he claimed that it was not hard to watch. Even he had his interactions with the one formally heralded as the god of Seireitei, and Irie's impersonation brought the nostalgia of past encounters that Sano had with Hinaai.

"I don't blame you," came his blunt reply. It was more normal for the natural death of one's parents to precede their own, but to witness their murder was something unfathomable. She couldn't be blamed when everyone present could not help the situation. Even he regretted his weakness, as he realized he might not have been able to do anything had he actually been there.

"Everyone else probably froze as well. I wasn't even a direct witness and I froze. It happened suddenly, and it was so unbelievable that no one knew how to react. Some still don't know what to think of it."

"Your mother was slain by opportunity, not skill...," he muttered in response as he took a sip of his tea. The topic brought the image of Yuu Yashin to his mind, and his blood boiled. He didn't hold Sojiro in as much contempt, though he believed that none of them earned the pedestal that they claimed. The true orchestrator was someone that Sano registered as unforgivable, and his distaste was enhanced by how hurt his childhood friend was. However, there was a proper way to act.

"You can claim as much as you want with opportunity, but eventually you'll pay for trying to get by with no skill. That coward awaits a painful death." His eyes trailed to the face of his friend as he took notice to the wrath that settled into her. It wasn't like he was incapable of sympathizing, but he couldn't allow her to continue.

"But wrath is a toxin. Your mother's killer will get what he deserves, but not without quite a bit of consideration."