There was once a man who attempted to achieve the impossible- To cut down a swallow mid-flight with a great sword. Again and again, he swung his sword to cut down a single swallow, and again and again he continued to swing afterwards. For one as great as he is, it is only inevitable that someone would attempt to follow in his footsteps.
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A Swallow's Tale (Fate OC/Chained Soldier)
- Thread starter Dagaz
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Statistics (5 threadmarks, 19k words)
User Total Dagaz 5
Chapter 1
Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
- Messages
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Warning: Slop and blatant wish-fulfillment ahead
No one truly knows what dreams are. They say dreams are a looking glass for a person's subconscious desires, some will say that dreams are simply memories of either days long past or exaggerations of the day that had just passed by, and there are those who don't believe that dreams have any purpose, certain neurons firing off in the brain just so happen to have certain imagery attached to it.
Whatever the case, most would agree that memories have some purpose.
Tsuda was one of them.
He was five when he had a dream that changed the entire course of his life.
He remembers standing underneath a tree, watching from the other side of a great river. Within this dream it was just him and one other person. He doesn't know this person, and since he wasn't completely in control of himself during the dream (he was rooted to the spot) he wasn't able to ask, but he could describe the person in great detail.
The other person in this dream was a young man, with long indigo hair tied into a ponytail. The young man's indigo eyes narrowed in concentration as he swung his nodachi, glaring at a swallow in the distance. Tsuda took note of the fact that he and the man had the same hair and eye color.
The young man swung that long sword over and over again, even when his arms began to shake and his mouth began to dry, he continued to swing. What did he have against the swallow? Tsuda didn't know, but he kept looking on in interest.
At some point the technique began to change, each swing becoming slower than the last. The man eventually stopped, before taking a deep breath. He held the sword above his head.
He then proceeded to swing downwards at incredible speeds (to the point that Tsuda could hear the sword cut through the air), and then right before it hit the ground, the swordsman would completely halt its descent, and faster than the blink of the eye, he would swing upwards at equal speed. He repeated this technique at least twenty more times.
Tsuda looked on with widened eyes, for a young boy even he knew just how insane the technique he just witnessed was.
The man looked at his sword with a sense of accomplishment and determination. Tsuda assumed the swordsman was at least going to take a break– he didn't. Even as he stood with vibrating arms and heavy breaths, the swordsman did not let go of his sword, he was not done yet.
"Almost…"
Then, as the man allowed his arms to rest, and allowed his body to recover slightly, he still stood up straight.
Was he waiting for something? Tsuda's question was answered minutes later.
A swallow flew up close, pecking at a few bugs that were crawling in the sand, just a few meters away from the man.
The indigo-haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he held up his nodachi towards the sky.
He was attempting to slash to swallow? That's impossible, the thing was too small and too fast, add onto the fact that the man held an extremely large sword. Nodachi swords were known for their length (they're more likely to be referred to as odachi– literally 'great swords'), but the one that the man held was definitely larger than most.
How did the boy know this? His adopted parent was a blacksmith.
Then, the man took a step forward towards the swallow. It was a light step, but it was enough to alert the tiny bird. It flapped its wings at quick speeds and prepared to zoom off, but as soon its tiny body lifted off the ground, the man swung downwards.
Tsuda assumed that he was going to attempt to use the same move that he used minutes prior, but instead something else happened.
Something more.
The boy could have sworn that the man swung only once, yet at this moment– in an act that defied the very rules of physics— the technique changed.
What was supposed to be just "two swings in quick succession" turned into "two swings simultaneously". If the technique from just minutes ago was faster than the blink of an eye, this technique shouldn't even be possible by a normal person (maybe someone from the Anti-Demon Corps could accomplish something similar, but even then, that would have been with the help of a Peach ability).
And yet…
The sliced remains of the swallow fell onto the ground with a soft thud. The man stared in silence, before a noise escaped him– a mix between cough and a chuckle. Then the swordsman bursted into full blown laughter.
The kind of laughter that is only possible after one achieves a life-long dream, the kind of laughter that comes from accomplishing what you thought to have been impossible.
Tsuda did not know this man, yet something filled his young soul— a strange sense in his heart. The boy knew that he could never accomplish something like that, he knew that even if he had tried for one hundred years, he could never achieve something like the technique he just witnessed. This was all a dream, after all. That technique isn't possible, the boy knew so.
He wouldn't even be thinking of this if it weren't for the fact that he–someway, somehow– understood how the technique worked. Any other person would have just seen the man swing once, but the boy saw him swing twice at the exact same time, not "quickly after" but "at the exact moment." What should be an impossibility felt so real to the boy.
And it was at that moment, what had been one man's passion became the young boy's obsession.
Tenka Izumo had been elected as Chief of the Anti-Demon Corps 6th Unit the very moment the position was available, and the decision was made with absolutely no backlash. If anything, it was her rare mixture of kindness as well as pure loyalty that had put her in favor with many of the captains prior. It's been a few years since she became the Chief, and while she doesn't regret the decision, things definitely didn't really play out how she had expected.
Not like she expected much to begin with, she had her hobbies and her skills. She adored the members of her unit, as well as the other members of the Anti-Demon Corps (Chiefs and regular members alike).
Yet as she stood here alone on the battlefield, littered with the corpses of Shuuki, she felt a sense of boredom. The exact same boredom that had plagued her even before she joined the Anti-Demon Corps.
Perhaps it was selfish of her to think this way. While many are risking their lives to fight for Japan, and while innocent lives are unfortunately taken during many Mato mishaps, she stood here complaining about boredom.
It was because of those things that she did not even attempt to complain, though there were a few times when she allowed herself to let loose with Yachiho and Sahara.
She sighed, though the smile that she always wore remained on her face. As she turned around and opened a portal, preparing to teleport back to the base, she heard something. A sound so distinct that it would be impossible to miss.
She closed the portal and turned towards the direction she assumed the sound was coming from. She listened closely, concentrating.
She heard it again.
She walked forward, continuing her concentration, and with each step she took she could hear the sound become clearer.
The sound was coming from… a sword?
She walked forward a few more meters.
She heard the sound of a sword cutting through flesh, followed by the fading screams of Shuuki.
Was Kyouka here? That was the first person to come to Tenka's mind, but she wasn't informed beforehand, and Kyouka isn't the type to visit another Unit on a whim.
She walked faster, she had informed those of her own Unit to stay within the base while she did recon, did one of them defy her orders? That can't be right, none of them wielded a sword.
A portal opened in front of her, jumping into it she appeared on a cliff face, getting a better view.
Not even a mile away from her own confrontation, someone else was facing off against the Shuuki.
She wanted to go down and assist, but before she did, she noticed something. As the person below turned with every swing of their sword–one at an unnatural length, an odachi perhaps? --she noticed his facial features.
She wasn't one to discriminate, but even she could tell that the person below was not a female.
Past their shoulder-length violet hair, she saw an unfamiliar face. A young man wearing torn casual clothes— holes filled his long white sleeve and jeans.
She used her portal to get closer. Her instincts as a Chief told her to step in, but she was curious.
Curious that despite the hoard of Shuuki raining down on the boy, he still stood strong. All it took was one swing of the sword to cut each beast in half, or a few swings if the boy was feeling lucky.
Though it's not as if men are completely worthless in combat–the men of the Azuma household come to mind–but this is the first time she's seen one actually fight beyond the safety of the Anti-Demon Corps. He definitely wasn't supposed to be here.
The hoard of Shuuki finally stopped with one last monster slain. The man released an exhausted sigh, sheathing his sword. She had only been waiting for half a minute, but she decided that now was the perfect time to interact.
Right as she took a step out, another Shuuki appeared from behind the young man. He felt the monster's presence a little too late though, as he quickly turned around and unsheathed his sword right as the Shuuki was right in front of him– its hand attempting to crush his shoulder.
A hole appeared in front of him in the same place as the Shuuki. He stood in confusion and slight awe as it roared, but its cries of pain went ignored as the abyss devoured it.
"Are you alright?" Having appeared at arms reach next to him, Tenka's voice broke him out of his stupor.
"?!"
He flinched back away from her, having not registered her presence until she made it known. The first thing that he noticed as he took in her appearance was the bright lime-green hair– with streaks of white at the top. The next thing he noticed– which was a lot more important– was the obvious military-esq outfit, one that only a Chief of the Anti-Demon Corps wears.
He leaped backwards, holding his sheathed nodachi behind him, one hand on the sheath itself and the other on the sword handle.
Finally at a close enough distance, Tenka took one last good look. He looked no older than Tenka herself–maybe a year younger, she assumed– and he was definitely taller than her. She took note of how his indigo eyes narrowed at her presence. His breathing heavy and head sweaty, she assumed that he'd been fighting Shuuki for quite a while.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" She ignored his defensive stance, opting to take a step forward.
Fast he may be with the sword; she had the upper hand. In her mind she was prepared— her hands ready to use her ability the very moment he attempted to unsheath his blade.
She took another step closer.
"I'm fine." He took a step back—hands still on his weapon.
"You seem pretty good at fighting off the Shuuki, have you been stuck in Mato for long?" She indulged in her curiosity while still keeping up appearances as a Chief. Something different finally happened— something unforeseen has finally broken her out of her boredom.
She attempted to take another step forward, but he stopped her. Faster than the blink of an eye he had unsheathed his blade and slashed at her. It didn't hit but it was extremely close. Were it not for the sound of the blade piercing through the air, for the slash to produce a small gust of wind, for his obvious change in position after the fact: she would not have noticed he had attempted to attack her.
He was faster than Kyouka with the blade, combine that with the size of the sword and his obvious fatigue, he shouldn't have moved at such speed without the help of a Peach: but he's a man, it was impossible for him to have any supernatural ability.
So maybe it wasn't supernatural, and that only got her curiosity growing even more.
"Well, that was rude," Despite her words, her smile only grew. "I was just asking a few questions."
He clicked his tongue, and responded, "I don't have time for this." He sounded agitated, but it felt obvious to her that he missed on purpose, did he have something against her? Or maybe against the Defense Corps itself?
"And exactly what do you have time for then?" She asked with a smile and a tilted head. "Do you perhaps have somewhere else to be? You looked pretty excited while you were killing those Shuuki."
She meant to just tease but she ended up calling his bluff.
"It's…" His agitation only grew. Beads of sweat dropped down his forehead and his eyes focused on everything that wasn't her. "It's none of your business."
He's really not good with improv, Tenka thought to herself. As much as she could keep the barrage, she knew that she had a job to do. Her personal enjoyment can be saved for later.
"Well, whatever 'business' you have can hopefully be fulfilled another time, we should bring you back home now."
She took a step forward and held out her hand.
He glared at her hand before moving his gaze towards her eyes. Light purple pierced into blue. He took a step back and tightened his grip on his sword. He wasn't all that good at hiding his intentions, was he? Tenka almost found it cute.
It took him a few seconds to come to a decision. An exhausted sigh escaped his mouth.
"I'll go," He paused, and the Chief patiently waited for him to continue. "If you fight me first."
She looked at him curiously– the smile still present on her face. With a hum she leaned forward. "Really?"
At first the request seemed random but considering he had attacked– and purposely missed– her mere moments earlier, asking for a fight is definitely better than forcing her to fight him.
Maybe she can have a little more fun before duty calls…
"A fight? Are you sure you'd want that?"
"Not a fight to the death or anything like that, just a spar." He threw the sheath onto the ground and moved his blade into both hands. His mouth tilted up into a smirk. "If you win, I'll go with you and if I win then you'll leave me alone and forget this ever happened."
"And what's stopping me from just dragging you back?"
She noticed the smirk on his face twitch downwards before returning back to the smirk. She smiled as he responded, "Then I just won't let you."
"You're pretty confident, huh?"
She stood back straight, her hands at her side and ready to move at any moment.
"Alright, I guess I can entertain you. You better not regret this."
He kneeled slightly, spreading out his legs, and held the sword upwards with both hands, near the side of his face. The smile on his face returned in full force. Even being in a state of disarray, he still had enough energy to be excited at the prospect of sparing, at this moment he almost looked like a puppy.
"I won't."
He counted down in his head.
3
He stood his ground, spreading his legs just an inch wider.
2
The Chief just stood there; her small smile felt almost smug.
1
NOW
His mind screamed a command, and he took a step forward.
Right as he prepared to swing, a hole— a portal— opened behind her, and right as he swung, her body had already faded into the abyss.
His attack created a small gust of wind, and he stood slightly dumbfounded. Teleportation, or was it something more?
Maybe fighting the Chief was a good idea—
As he was contemplating her abilities, a hole opened up underneath his feet, devouring the ground beneath.
Shit—!
He twisted his body to look downwards as he fell, expecting her to appear below.
Instead, a portal opened above him, his reaction time allowed him to twist his body upward and swipe at the portal, expecting her to appear from it.
She did not; instead, right as he swung at the portal above, a portal opened from below, and a hand grabbed at his back and roughly pulled.
His vision faded into black as he was pulled into her ability, only to readjust as he realized that he was falling from the sky.
"You—!"
Disoriented as he was, he still attempted to predict her movements, but he couldn't.
One last portal was all it took. He fell headfirst into a portal below him, and he released a painful groan as he felt his chest slam into the ground. His sword released from his grasp and clanged onto the ground beside him.
"I win!" She appeared on top of him, sitting on his back.
This entire "fight" took place within 10 seconds. The fastest battle he ever took part in and also the fastest he's ever lost.
"Damn it." He muttered.
"I should bring you back home, but I have a few questions for you. You wouldn't mind an interrogation, would you?"
He groaned in response.
"Good! Thank you for your cooperation." She grabbed onto his back, but before she could teleport the two, she heard him speak, "wait."
She stopped with a raised eyebrow, watching as he pointed towards a boulder a few meters away from them.
"My things."
She used her ability to move the boulder and found a backpack laying on the ground.
"Looks like you had been prepared."
"Can I—" He moved his hands towards the backpack, but Tenka kept him in place.
"I'll grab it on the way back."
He sighed as she grabbed onto his back, opening a portal right under the two. With a smile on her face the two vanished into the void that is Ame-no-Mitori, teleporting back to the Anti-Demon Corps hideout.
(A/N)
I wasn't planning on cross posting this story anywhere outside off FFN.net and AO3, but a recent outage from FFN reminded me of how bad its issues are so I decided that just to be safe I'll cross post it other places.
No one truly knows what dreams are. They say dreams are a looking glass for a person's subconscious desires, some will say that dreams are simply memories of either days long past or exaggerations of the day that had just passed by, and there are those who don't believe that dreams have any purpose, certain neurons firing off in the brain just so happen to have certain imagery attached to it.
Whatever the case, most would agree that memories have some purpose.
Tsuda was one of them.
He was five when he had a dream that changed the entire course of his life.
He remembers standing underneath a tree, watching from the other side of a great river. Within this dream it was just him and one other person. He doesn't know this person, and since he wasn't completely in control of himself during the dream (he was rooted to the spot) he wasn't able to ask, but he could describe the person in great detail.
The other person in this dream was a young man, with long indigo hair tied into a ponytail. The young man's indigo eyes narrowed in concentration as he swung his nodachi, glaring at a swallow in the distance. Tsuda took note of the fact that he and the man had the same hair and eye color.
The young man swung that long sword over and over again, even when his arms began to shake and his mouth began to dry, he continued to swing. What did he have against the swallow? Tsuda didn't know, but he kept looking on in interest.
At some point the technique began to change, each swing becoming slower than the last. The man eventually stopped, before taking a deep breath. He held the sword above his head.
He then proceeded to swing downwards at incredible speeds (to the point that Tsuda could hear the sword cut through the air), and then right before it hit the ground, the swordsman would completely halt its descent, and faster than the blink of the eye, he would swing upwards at equal speed. He repeated this technique at least twenty more times.
Tsuda looked on with widened eyes, for a young boy even he knew just how insane the technique he just witnessed was.
The man looked at his sword with a sense of accomplishment and determination. Tsuda assumed the swordsman was at least going to take a break– he didn't. Even as he stood with vibrating arms and heavy breaths, the swordsman did not let go of his sword, he was not done yet.
"Almost…"
Then, as the man allowed his arms to rest, and allowed his body to recover slightly, he still stood up straight.
Was he waiting for something? Tsuda's question was answered minutes later.
A swallow flew up close, pecking at a few bugs that were crawling in the sand, just a few meters away from the man.
The indigo-haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he held up his nodachi towards the sky.
He was attempting to slash to swallow? That's impossible, the thing was too small and too fast, add onto the fact that the man held an extremely large sword. Nodachi swords were known for their length (they're more likely to be referred to as odachi– literally 'great swords'), but the one that the man held was definitely larger than most.
How did the boy know this? His adopted parent was a blacksmith.
Then, the man took a step forward towards the swallow. It was a light step, but it was enough to alert the tiny bird. It flapped its wings at quick speeds and prepared to zoom off, but as soon its tiny body lifted off the ground, the man swung downwards.
Tsuda assumed that he was going to attempt to use the same move that he used minutes prior, but instead something else happened.
Something more.
The boy could have sworn that the man swung only once, yet at this moment– in an act that defied the very rules of physics— the technique changed.
What was supposed to be just "two swings in quick succession" turned into "two swings simultaneously". If the technique from just minutes ago was faster than the blink of an eye, this technique shouldn't even be possible by a normal person (maybe someone from the Anti-Demon Corps could accomplish something similar, but even then, that would have been with the help of a Peach ability).
And yet…
The sliced remains of the swallow fell onto the ground with a soft thud. The man stared in silence, before a noise escaped him– a mix between cough and a chuckle. Then the swordsman bursted into full blown laughter.
The kind of laughter that is only possible after one achieves a life-long dream, the kind of laughter that comes from accomplishing what you thought to have been impossible.
Tsuda did not know this man, yet something filled his young soul— a strange sense in his heart. The boy knew that he could never accomplish something like that, he knew that even if he had tried for one hundred years, he could never achieve something like the technique he just witnessed. This was all a dream, after all. That technique isn't possible, the boy knew so.
He wouldn't even be thinking of this if it weren't for the fact that he–someway, somehow– understood how the technique worked. Any other person would have just seen the man swing once, but the boy saw him swing twice at the exact same time, not "quickly after" but "at the exact moment." What should be an impossibility felt so real to the boy.
And it was at that moment, what had been one man's passion became the young boy's obsession.
Tenka Izumo had been elected as Chief of the Anti-Demon Corps 6th Unit the very moment the position was available, and the decision was made with absolutely no backlash. If anything, it was her rare mixture of kindness as well as pure loyalty that had put her in favor with many of the captains prior. It's been a few years since she became the Chief, and while she doesn't regret the decision, things definitely didn't really play out how she had expected.
Not like she expected much to begin with, she had her hobbies and her skills. She adored the members of her unit, as well as the other members of the Anti-Demon Corps (Chiefs and regular members alike).
Yet as she stood here alone on the battlefield, littered with the corpses of Shuuki, she felt a sense of boredom. The exact same boredom that had plagued her even before she joined the Anti-Demon Corps.
Perhaps it was selfish of her to think this way. While many are risking their lives to fight for Japan, and while innocent lives are unfortunately taken during many Mato mishaps, she stood here complaining about boredom.
It was because of those things that she did not even attempt to complain, though there were a few times when she allowed herself to let loose with Yachiho and Sahara.
She sighed, though the smile that she always wore remained on her face. As she turned around and opened a portal, preparing to teleport back to the base, she heard something. A sound so distinct that it would be impossible to miss.
She closed the portal and turned towards the direction she assumed the sound was coming from. She listened closely, concentrating.
She heard it again.
She walked forward, continuing her concentration, and with each step she took she could hear the sound become clearer.
The sound was coming from… a sword?
She walked forward a few more meters.
She heard the sound of a sword cutting through flesh, followed by the fading screams of Shuuki.
Was Kyouka here? That was the first person to come to Tenka's mind, but she wasn't informed beforehand, and Kyouka isn't the type to visit another Unit on a whim.
She walked faster, she had informed those of her own Unit to stay within the base while she did recon, did one of them defy her orders? That can't be right, none of them wielded a sword.
A portal opened in front of her, jumping into it she appeared on a cliff face, getting a better view.
Not even a mile away from her own confrontation, someone else was facing off against the Shuuki.
She wanted to go down and assist, but before she did, she noticed something. As the person below turned with every swing of their sword–one at an unnatural length, an odachi perhaps? --she noticed his facial features.
She wasn't one to discriminate, but even she could tell that the person below was not a female.
Past their shoulder-length violet hair, she saw an unfamiliar face. A young man wearing torn casual clothes— holes filled his long white sleeve and jeans.
She used her portal to get closer. Her instincts as a Chief told her to step in, but she was curious.
Curious that despite the hoard of Shuuki raining down on the boy, he still stood strong. All it took was one swing of the sword to cut each beast in half, or a few swings if the boy was feeling lucky.
Though it's not as if men are completely worthless in combat–the men of the Azuma household come to mind–but this is the first time she's seen one actually fight beyond the safety of the Anti-Demon Corps. He definitely wasn't supposed to be here.
The hoard of Shuuki finally stopped with one last monster slain. The man released an exhausted sigh, sheathing his sword. She had only been waiting for half a minute, but she decided that now was the perfect time to interact.
Right as she took a step out, another Shuuki appeared from behind the young man. He felt the monster's presence a little too late though, as he quickly turned around and unsheathed his sword right as the Shuuki was right in front of him– its hand attempting to crush his shoulder.
A hole appeared in front of him in the same place as the Shuuki. He stood in confusion and slight awe as it roared, but its cries of pain went ignored as the abyss devoured it.
"Are you alright?" Having appeared at arms reach next to him, Tenka's voice broke him out of his stupor.
"?!"
He flinched back away from her, having not registered her presence until she made it known. The first thing that he noticed as he took in her appearance was the bright lime-green hair– with streaks of white at the top. The next thing he noticed– which was a lot more important– was the obvious military-esq outfit, one that only a Chief of the Anti-Demon Corps wears.
He leaped backwards, holding his sheathed nodachi behind him, one hand on the sheath itself and the other on the sword handle.
Finally at a close enough distance, Tenka took one last good look. He looked no older than Tenka herself–maybe a year younger, she assumed– and he was definitely taller than her. She took note of how his indigo eyes narrowed at her presence. His breathing heavy and head sweaty, she assumed that he'd been fighting Shuuki for quite a while.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" She ignored his defensive stance, opting to take a step forward.
Fast he may be with the sword; she had the upper hand. In her mind she was prepared— her hands ready to use her ability the very moment he attempted to unsheath his blade.
She took another step closer.
"I'm fine." He took a step back—hands still on his weapon.
"You seem pretty good at fighting off the Shuuki, have you been stuck in Mato for long?" She indulged in her curiosity while still keeping up appearances as a Chief. Something different finally happened— something unforeseen has finally broken her out of her boredom.
She attempted to take another step forward, but he stopped her. Faster than the blink of an eye he had unsheathed his blade and slashed at her. It didn't hit but it was extremely close. Were it not for the sound of the blade piercing through the air, for the slash to produce a small gust of wind, for his obvious change in position after the fact: she would not have noticed he had attempted to attack her.
He was faster than Kyouka with the blade, combine that with the size of the sword and his obvious fatigue, he shouldn't have moved at such speed without the help of a Peach: but he's a man, it was impossible for him to have any supernatural ability.
So maybe it wasn't supernatural, and that only got her curiosity growing even more.
"Well, that was rude," Despite her words, her smile only grew. "I was just asking a few questions."
He clicked his tongue, and responded, "I don't have time for this." He sounded agitated, but it felt obvious to her that he missed on purpose, did he have something against her? Or maybe against the Defense Corps itself?
"And exactly what do you have time for then?" She asked with a smile and a tilted head. "Do you perhaps have somewhere else to be? You looked pretty excited while you were killing those Shuuki."
She meant to just tease but she ended up calling his bluff.
"It's…" His agitation only grew. Beads of sweat dropped down his forehead and his eyes focused on everything that wasn't her. "It's none of your business."
He's really not good with improv, Tenka thought to herself. As much as she could keep the barrage, she knew that she had a job to do. Her personal enjoyment can be saved for later.
"Well, whatever 'business' you have can hopefully be fulfilled another time, we should bring you back home now."
She took a step forward and held out her hand.
He glared at her hand before moving his gaze towards her eyes. Light purple pierced into blue. He took a step back and tightened his grip on his sword. He wasn't all that good at hiding his intentions, was he? Tenka almost found it cute.
It took him a few seconds to come to a decision. An exhausted sigh escaped his mouth.
"I'll go," He paused, and the Chief patiently waited for him to continue. "If you fight me first."
She looked at him curiously– the smile still present on her face. With a hum she leaned forward. "Really?"
At first the request seemed random but considering he had attacked– and purposely missed– her mere moments earlier, asking for a fight is definitely better than forcing her to fight him.
Maybe she can have a little more fun before duty calls…
"A fight? Are you sure you'd want that?"
"Not a fight to the death or anything like that, just a spar." He threw the sheath onto the ground and moved his blade into both hands. His mouth tilted up into a smirk. "If you win, I'll go with you and if I win then you'll leave me alone and forget this ever happened."
"And what's stopping me from just dragging you back?"
She noticed the smirk on his face twitch downwards before returning back to the smirk. She smiled as he responded, "Then I just won't let you."
"You're pretty confident, huh?"
She stood back straight, her hands at her side and ready to move at any moment.
"Alright, I guess I can entertain you. You better not regret this."
He kneeled slightly, spreading out his legs, and held the sword upwards with both hands, near the side of his face. The smile on his face returned in full force. Even being in a state of disarray, he still had enough energy to be excited at the prospect of sparing, at this moment he almost looked like a puppy.
"I won't."
He counted down in his head.
3
He stood his ground, spreading his legs just an inch wider.
2
The Chief just stood there; her small smile felt almost smug.
1
NOW
His mind screamed a command, and he took a step forward.
Right as he prepared to swing, a hole— a portal— opened behind her, and right as he swung, her body had already faded into the abyss.
His attack created a small gust of wind, and he stood slightly dumbfounded. Teleportation, or was it something more?
Maybe fighting the Chief was a good idea—
As he was contemplating her abilities, a hole opened up underneath his feet, devouring the ground beneath.
Shit—!
He twisted his body to look downwards as he fell, expecting her to appear below.
Instead, a portal opened above him, his reaction time allowed him to twist his body upward and swipe at the portal, expecting her to appear from it.
She did not; instead, right as he swung at the portal above, a portal opened from below, and a hand grabbed at his back and roughly pulled.
His vision faded into black as he was pulled into her ability, only to readjust as he realized that he was falling from the sky.
"You—!"
Disoriented as he was, he still attempted to predict her movements, but he couldn't.
One last portal was all it took. He fell headfirst into a portal below him, and he released a painful groan as he felt his chest slam into the ground. His sword released from his grasp and clanged onto the ground beside him.
"I win!" She appeared on top of him, sitting on his back.
This entire "fight" took place within 10 seconds. The fastest battle he ever took part in and also the fastest he's ever lost.
"Damn it." He muttered.
"I should bring you back home, but I have a few questions for you. You wouldn't mind an interrogation, would you?"
He groaned in response.
"Good! Thank you for your cooperation." She grabbed onto his back, but before she could teleport the two, she heard him speak, "wait."
She stopped with a raised eyebrow, watching as he pointed towards a boulder a few meters away from them.
"My things."
She used her ability to move the boulder and found a backpack laying on the ground.
"Looks like you had been prepared."
"Can I—" He moved his hands towards the backpack, but Tenka kept him in place.
"I'll grab it on the way back."
He sighed as she grabbed onto his back, opening a portal right under the two. With a smile on her face the two vanished into the void that is Ame-no-Mitori, teleporting back to the Anti-Demon Corps hideout.
(A/N)
I wasn't planning on cross posting this story anywhere outside off FFN.net and AO3, but a recent outage from FFN reminded me of how bad its issues are so I decided that just to be safe I'll cross post it other places.
Last edited:
Chapter 2
Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
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As they teleported to the hideout, Tsuda took the moment to reconsider his life choices. He knew it was a bad idea to fight a chief of all people, but he couldn't help it. He had already failed at controlling his desires— his agitation from earlier was at himself. The prospect of bettering himself had gotten him riled up.
All things considered he was lucky. Lucky that the Chief didn't see him as an enemy after his feint. Lucky that she decided to humor his demands despite obviously having the upper hand. He was glad he specified that it was a spar.
In a battle to the death he had no doubt that he would be gone already.
Once again he was reminded of the wall between him and the women of the Anti-Demon Corps. He didn't care much for gender roles or stereotypes, but even he would sometimes think it unfair that only women could inherit supernatural abilities. Yet as he stared at that metaphorical wall he found that it didn't really affect him too much.
No, what truly mattered to him was one thing, an impossible goal.
To reach that height he saw in his dream. To reach that peak of swordsmanship. To achieve that perfect technique—
"Here we are." Tenka called out, breaking him out of his stupor.
They had teleported right to the invisible dome that protected the Unit's base, which looked like a traditional dorm. The building itself didn't look too impressive, but what was impressive was the fact that such an old-style building was able to stay up for so long, especially in Mato.
Tsuda walked up towards the force-field—fastening his backpack on a single shoulder—with a look of awe. Besides him Tenka walked past the invisible dome with his sword in hand— she had taken it from him right as they teleported back. After fully entering the force field she turned back towards the young man and held out her free hand.
"Come on." She motioned for him to grab her hand, but the way she spoke made Tsuda's eyebrow twitch.
"Can you not talk like that? I'm not a dog." Nonetheless he grabbed onto her hand. A strange feeling washed over him as he entered through the force-field.
"I'll stop when you stop glancing at this sword like a desperate puppy waiting for treats." He did not like the smug look on her face, it reminded him too much of a familiar person.
I already have to deal with Musashi's teasing, Gods please don't throw another one at me.
"Just kidding." The smug aura vanished off her. "I was just having my own fun, but if it makes you uncomfortable I'll stop…. Maybe."
He could only sigh.
The two proceeded to walk into the dorm, and Tenka led him to the living room. She motioned for him to sit, and so he hesitantly took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room, placing his backpack next to him. He took a moment to look at his own attire, holes and tears present in both his shirt and pants.
What a mess, he thought with an exasperated sigh.
Tenka moved to place his sword on the wall on the furthest side of the living room—away from his reach. She looked back to him with the same smile that she's had since they met. "Would you like anything to drink?"
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"You sure?"
He shook his backpack, both of them picking up the sloshing of water from a water bottle.
"Alright then." She gently clapped her hands, "Let's get down to business then, shall we?
She took a seat on the smaller couch across from him, leaning forward with her hands under her chin.
"First, what is your name?"
"Tsuda." He said with little hesitation. Tenka signaled for him to continue with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't.
"Is that your given name or…?"
"It is."
"Then, your surname?"
"It's…"
He hesitated, his eyes wandered off in embarrassment. In most scenarios where a person asks for his surname they don't know about his obsession with the sword, but right here and now it felt like his validity as a person was put under the scope.
"Ganryu. My name is Tsuda Ganryu."
She took a moment to let the information sink in before she stood up. She turns to the side, a portal opening in front of her. "I'll be right back." She says as she disappears into the portal.
Tenka Izumo returned a moment later with a tablet in her hand. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she swiped at the screen.
"Tsuda Ganryu." She repeated to herself. "Oh, here you are."
She sat back down with the tablet in hand and apologized with an embarrassed smile. "I did not mean to insult you but…"
"It doesn't sound like a real name?" He asked, fully expecting that reaction. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Not that— it doesn't sound like a complete name." She corrected, "but that really is your full name."
"We're getting off track." She shook her hand and placed the tablet on the armrest of her couch. "Next question,
"How long have you been alone in Mato?"
Tsuda wasn't good with bluffing to begin with so he told the truth. "A month… I think."
"A month?" She repeated, and her smile completely dropped. "You've been out there for a month?"
Here comes the lecture. Tsuda inwardly sighed.
"I can go on for hours on why you did something wrong." She spoke with a strictness that seemed unlike her, just this once she allowed the title of chief to take full force. "But you don't seem like the smart type, am I wrong?"
His eyebrow twitched. "I'm not stupid, I know how to—"
"Handle yourself? Maybe you can, in the normal world." She huffed. "But if I were to lecture you about why what you've done is stupid and send you home right after, can you tell me with certainty that you wouldn't attempt it again?"
"I–"
He wanted to say yes, but he stopped himself. Perhaps it was stupid, but it's not like men can actually sign up to the Anti-Demon Corps. As easy as it would be to just walk up to their front doors and ask "sign me up", he can't.
There was one way that he could become part of the Corps– according to his foster mother– but that required essentially giving away his body to a certain family clan.
He did not want to think of marriage at the moment so he had immediately trashed that suggestion.
To get the practice he wanted, the experience he needed. To get the high that he's obsessed with, he had to be here in Mato fighting monsters.
He hung his head low, she was right. Even if the Head Commander herself lectured him he would still attempt to come back.
She took his defeated movements as a sign of agreement. She allowed for the tension in the room to calm and leaned back into the couch. "I'm not calling you stupid." She spoke softly.
"A stupid person would not have survived in Mato for a month, and I'm assuming that you've been alone this whole time?"
He nodded.
"That in itself is an accomplishment that even a few of the members here would not be able to achieve." Of course most would have been able to, considering the nature of Peaches, but she had to give credit where it was due.
He looked up at her with a lopsided smile, "I'm surprised you seem to know so much about me."
"I've been speaking based on assumptions," She spoke with genuine appreciation, "and it helps that being a Chief I'm able to meet all sorts of people. While there are a few people that I know of who seem to act similar to you, you are a rare case, so I'm glad that my assumptions have been correct."
"So!" She clapped her hands, her iconic smile returning in full force. "How about we come to a compromise?"
"A compromise?"
She nodded, leaning forward with her hands holding her chin. Her eyes glinted with anticipation and curiosity. "Why don't you work for the Anti-Demon Corps?"
He looked at her with an indifferent gaze, it took a full thirty seconds for the question to process, and when it did–
"Can I?!" He nearly jumped off the couch, when he realized that he sounded a little too enthusiastic, he sat back down with a cough.
"I thought that men can't become a member of the Corps?"
"Normally they can't, and the closest thing to being a member and a man is to be married into the Azuma family."
He only heard tales of the Azuma family from his foster mother, but even with his limited knowledge he couldn't help but shudder.
"But I think an exception can be made."
He swallowed, the sheer anticipation nearly caused him to sweat. "Can you really get me into the Corps?"
In Tenka's eyes, she could have sworn that she saw a tail wag behind him. "Maybe not as a member."
She almost laughed at the way he visibly deflated, "but if there is a way to get you into the Corps, then I'm confident that I can get it."
Within the next couple of seconds, Tsuda had sat from the couch, walked up to her, and kneeled on one knee.
"Thank you for this opportunity!"
Her eyes widened in surprise, not having expected a passionate reaction. She was completely tempted to lean over and rub his head, in an attempt to control herself she asked, "Are you that excited about killing Shuuki?"
She only meant to tease, but as he glanced up at her, she saw pure conviction in his gaze. "If I can freely fight without much trouble, then I will take the opportunity without a second thought."
As she gazed into his eyes, a question entered her mind. "Why exactly do you fight?"
"It's–" For a moment he looked extremely excited to tell her the story, but then he faltered. To test the waters he asked a simple question,
"Have you heard of Sasaki Kojiro?"
"I know of Kojiro what everyone else knows, the man who can cut down a swallow mid-flight and who's also the rival of Miyamoto Musashi." That was the common knowledge when it comes to Kojiro. It's much like how the average person would say "that's the heel weakness guy during the trojan war" when asked about Achilles or "that's the trojan horse guy" when asked about Odysseus.
"When I was young I had a dream," Tsuda began. "Of a man who cut down a swallow right as it left the ground. That's all the dream was but after doing some research I've come to learn that it was a dream about Sasaki Kojiro."
He shook his head. "I don't know why I dreamed about some old folktale but I did, and ever since then that technique he used, it's been latched onto my mind."
Whatever embarrassment he had prior had vanished, all that was left was a certain conviction. "I want to achieve that."
I want to be like that.
A minute of silence passed as the two stared at each other.
"That's certainly quite the goal." She finally stood up from her seat and walked in front of the kneeling boy, she held out her hand to him. "And I think that's exactly the kind of conviction we need here. I promise you that I will get you a position here."
While she was honest about her thoughts– the kind of mindset he has is one that is favored by the Corps– her reasons for helping him were a lot more selfish.
The way his eyes shone reminded her of a puppy waiting for treats. Even as he stood at his full height– a full six inches above her– the temptation to pat his head returned with a vengeance.
Not yet, but she held herself back. "For now, though," She paused, and opened a portal right behind the purple haired young man.
"Let's get you to a room."
It didn't take too long for her to place his things in an empty room. It was a pitiful room in all aspects, with a single window on the wall opposite to the door, and a single mattress laying on the floor. She offered to look for another room but he shook his head, saying that it was fine. The only clothes they had that would fit him was a large janitor's outfit, he said that that was fine as well. They both supposed that anything would work compared to the shirt and jeans that he'd apparently been wearing for a month.
Despite her insistence he did not require too much. He grabbed the outfit and asked for the shower, she gave him the directions and teleported back to the living room. She realized now that there was no smell left over, despite his obvious injuries there was not a speck of blood or sweat left on the couch.
As she grabbed the tablet she called out. "And what do you think of this compromise, Yacchi?"
She spoke to another young woman who sat on the couch the boy had sat on ten minutes prior. A fair-skinned young woman with long dark-blue hair tied into twintails with white ribbons.
Vice-Chief Yachiho Azuma glared at her Chief.
"Don't give me that look, how long have you been eavesdropping?"
The Vice-Chief huffed. "Since you first left to grab the tablet."
"So? What do you think?"
"Why are you so insistent on letting a guy stay here? You know the rules of the Corps better than most, you're a Chief!"
"Now now, don't be like that, having a guy here would be an eye-opening experience I think, neither of us have any experience in that regard."
Yachigo sat up with her arms crossed. "You do know that he won't be accepted as a member, even if it's you vouching for him."
"I know, but I'm still going to try."
Yachiho continued to glare at her Chief, and in response Tenka only kept the same smile on her face.
Finally, Yachiho relented with a huff. "Fine, I'll trust you on this, Chief."
The smile on Tenka's face widened. "Thank you–"
"But–!" The Azuma daughter raised her voice and held out a finger. "If he does anything uncouth towards anyone here–!"
To reiterate her point she closed her index and middle finger like a pair of scissors.
Tenka tilted her head. "I don't think he's that type of person, but I'll hold your word, I'll punish him if he purposely does something in that nature."
"Speaking of which." Tenka sat down on the opposite side of the couch that Yachiho was sitting on. "What do you think of him?"
"Didn't you–"
"Not of this arrangement, but I mean what do you think of him as a person?"
Yachiho leaned back and held her hand to her chin with a hum. There was a word that she felt would perfectly describe him, but she couldn't remember it.
"What was it again… damn it I just had it–"
She snapped her fingers. "Ah, that's right!"
She leaned forward with her elbow resting against her leg, she pointed at her chief with a smirk.
"Chuunibyou. I think he's a Chuuni."
Tenka tilted her head with a slow chuckle. "I wouldn't go that far…"
"How old is he?"
At the question, Tenka grabbed the tablet and pulled up his information. "19."
"Chuuni." As if she didn't need to say anything else, Yachiho leaned back with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile.
"I don't think he's–" Yachiho cut off Tenka before she could defend the young man.
"'I want to achieve that' he says while talking about some ancient samurai, in what world would that not be the signs of a chuuni?"
"I still wouldn't go that far." Tenka paused, thinking of the right word to describe the young man, "I would say instead he's… passionate."
"You don't sound so sure of that."
The Chief of the 6th Unit sighed. "If he were truly a chuunibyou then wouldn't he have introduced himself as some reincarnation of Kojiro instead of just listing the tale of Sasaki Kojiro as his dream? In the end it's a fable, so maybe the hidden message just really spoke to him." Whether or not Sasaki Kojiro lived, his tale of perseverance and dedication as both a master swordsman and the rival of Miyamoto Musashi is not to be understated. It's not something that Tenka herself found interest in, but she could see the appeal.
"Fair point." Yachiho relented on that point alone, "But I still stand by what I said."
"And nothing I say will convince you?"
The twin-tailed Azuma daughter shook her head. "Unless he does something to prove me otherwise, he'll forever be a chuunibyou."
Sorry Tsuda, Tenka apologized to the young man in her head.
All things considered he was lucky. Lucky that the Chief didn't see him as an enemy after his feint. Lucky that she decided to humor his demands despite obviously having the upper hand. He was glad he specified that it was a spar.
In a battle to the death he had no doubt that he would be gone already.
Once again he was reminded of the wall between him and the women of the Anti-Demon Corps. He didn't care much for gender roles or stereotypes, but even he would sometimes think it unfair that only women could inherit supernatural abilities. Yet as he stared at that metaphorical wall he found that it didn't really affect him too much.
No, what truly mattered to him was one thing, an impossible goal.
To reach that height he saw in his dream. To reach that peak of swordsmanship. To achieve that perfect technique—
"Here we are." Tenka called out, breaking him out of his stupor.
They had teleported right to the invisible dome that protected the Unit's base, which looked like a traditional dorm. The building itself didn't look too impressive, but what was impressive was the fact that such an old-style building was able to stay up for so long, especially in Mato.
Tsuda walked up towards the force-field—fastening his backpack on a single shoulder—with a look of awe. Besides him Tenka walked past the invisible dome with his sword in hand— she had taken it from him right as they teleported back. After fully entering the force field she turned back towards the young man and held out her free hand.
"Come on." She motioned for him to grab her hand, but the way she spoke made Tsuda's eyebrow twitch.
"Can you not talk like that? I'm not a dog." Nonetheless he grabbed onto her hand. A strange feeling washed over him as he entered through the force-field.
"I'll stop when you stop glancing at this sword like a desperate puppy waiting for treats." He did not like the smug look on her face, it reminded him too much of a familiar person.
I already have to deal with Musashi's teasing, Gods please don't throw another one at me.
"Just kidding." The smug aura vanished off her. "I was just having my own fun, but if it makes you uncomfortable I'll stop…. Maybe."
He could only sigh.
The two proceeded to walk into the dorm, and Tenka led him to the living room. She motioned for him to sit, and so he hesitantly took a seat on the couch in the middle of the room, placing his backpack next to him. He took a moment to look at his own attire, holes and tears present in both his shirt and pants.
What a mess, he thought with an exasperated sigh.
Tenka moved to place his sword on the wall on the furthest side of the living room—away from his reach. She looked back to him with the same smile that she's had since they met. "Would you like anything to drink?"
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"You sure?"
He shook his backpack, both of them picking up the sloshing of water from a water bottle.
"Alright then." She gently clapped her hands, "Let's get down to business then, shall we?
She took a seat on the smaller couch across from him, leaning forward with her hands under her chin.
"First, what is your name?"
"Tsuda." He said with little hesitation. Tenka signaled for him to continue with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't.
"Is that your given name or…?"
"It is."
"Then, your surname?"
"It's…"
He hesitated, his eyes wandered off in embarrassment. In most scenarios where a person asks for his surname they don't know about his obsession with the sword, but right here and now it felt like his validity as a person was put under the scope.
"Ganryu. My name is Tsuda Ganryu."
She took a moment to let the information sink in before she stood up. She turns to the side, a portal opening in front of her. "I'll be right back." She says as she disappears into the portal.
Tenka Izumo returned a moment later with a tablet in her hand. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she swiped at the screen.
"Tsuda Ganryu." She repeated to herself. "Oh, here you are."
She sat back down with the tablet in hand and apologized with an embarrassed smile. "I did not mean to insult you but…"
"It doesn't sound like a real name?" He asked, fully expecting that reaction. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Not that— it doesn't sound like a complete name." She corrected, "but that really is your full name."
"We're getting off track." She shook her hand and placed the tablet on the armrest of her couch. "Next question,
"How long have you been alone in Mato?"
Tsuda wasn't good with bluffing to begin with so he told the truth. "A month… I think."
"A month?" She repeated, and her smile completely dropped. "You've been out there for a month?"
Here comes the lecture. Tsuda inwardly sighed.
"I can go on for hours on why you did something wrong." She spoke with a strictness that seemed unlike her, just this once she allowed the title of chief to take full force. "But you don't seem like the smart type, am I wrong?"
His eyebrow twitched. "I'm not stupid, I know how to—"
"Handle yourself? Maybe you can, in the normal world." She huffed. "But if I were to lecture you about why what you've done is stupid and send you home right after, can you tell me with certainty that you wouldn't attempt it again?"
"I–"
He wanted to say yes, but he stopped himself. Perhaps it was stupid, but it's not like men can actually sign up to the Anti-Demon Corps. As easy as it would be to just walk up to their front doors and ask "sign me up", he can't.
There was one way that he could become part of the Corps– according to his foster mother– but that required essentially giving away his body to a certain family clan.
He did not want to think of marriage at the moment so he had immediately trashed that suggestion.
To get the practice he wanted, the experience he needed. To get the high that he's obsessed with, he had to be here in Mato fighting monsters.
He hung his head low, she was right. Even if the Head Commander herself lectured him he would still attempt to come back.
She took his defeated movements as a sign of agreement. She allowed for the tension in the room to calm and leaned back into the couch. "I'm not calling you stupid." She spoke softly.
"A stupid person would not have survived in Mato for a month, and I'm assuming that you've been alone this whole time?"
He nodded.
"That in itself is an accomplishment that even a few of the members here would not be able to achieve." Of course most would have been able to, considering the nature of Peaches, but she had to give credit where it was due.
He looked up at her with a lopsided smile, "I'm surprised you seem to know so much about me."
"I've been speaking based on assumptions," She spoke with genuine appreciation, "and it helps that being a Chief I'm able to meet all sorts of people. While there are a few people that I know of who seem to act similar to you, you are a rare case, so I'm glad that my assumptions have been correct."
"So!" She clapped her hands, her iconic smile returning in full force. "How about we come to a compromise?"
"A compromise?"
She nodded, leaning forward with her hands holding her chin. Her eyes glinted with anticipation and curiosity. "Why don't you work for the Anti-Demon Corps?"
He looked at her with an indifferent gaze, it took a full thirty seconds for the question to process, and when it did–
"Can I?!" He nearly jumped off the couch, when he realized that he sounded a little too enthusiastic, he sat back down with a cough.
"I thought that men can't become a member of the Corps?"
"Normally they can't, and the closest thing to being a member and a man is to be married into the Azuma family."
He only heard tales of the Azuma family from his foster mother, but even with his limited knowledge he couldn't help but shudder.
"But I think an exception can be made."
He swallowed, the sheer anticipation nearly caused him to sweat. "Can you really get me into the Corps?"
In Tenka's eyes, she could have sworn that she saw a tail wag behind him. "Maybe not as a member."
She almost laughed at the way he visibly deflated, "but if there is a way to get you into the Corps, then I'm confident that I can get it."
Within the next couple of seconds, Tsuda had sat from the couch, walked up to her, and kneeled on one knee.
"Thank you for this opportunity!"
Her eyes widened in surprise, not having expected a passionate reaction. She was completely tempted to lean over and rub his head, in an attempt to control herself she asked, "Are you that excited about killing Shuuki?"
She only meant to tease, but as he glanced up at her, she saw pure conviction in his gaze. "If I can freely fight without much trouble, then I will take the opportunity without a second thought."
As she gazed into his eyes, a question entered her mind. "Why exactly do you fight?"
"It's–" For a moment he looked extremely excited to tell her the story, but then he faltered. To test the waters he asked a simple question,
"Have you heard of Sasaki Kojiro?"
"I know of Kojiro what everyone else knows, the man who can cut down a swallow mid-flight and who's also the rival of Miyamoto Musashi." That was the common knowledge when it comes to Kojiro. It's much like how the average person would say "that's the heel weakness guy during the trojan war" when asked about Achilles or "that's the trojan horse guy" when asked about Odysseus.
"When I was young I had a dream," Tsuda began. "Of a man who cut down a swallow right as it left the ground. That's all the dream was but after doing some research I've come to learn that it was a dream about Sasaki Kojiro."
He shook his head. "I don't know why I dreamed about some old folktale but I did, and ever since then that technique he used, it's been latched onto my mind."
Whatever embarrassment he had prior had vanished, all that was left was a certain conviction. "I want to achieve that."
I want to be like that.
A minute of silence passed as the two stared at each other.
"That's certainly quite the goal." She finally stood up from her seat and walked in front of the kneeling boy, she held out her hand to him. "And I think that's exactly the kind of conviction we need here. I promise you that I will get you a position here."
While she was honest about her thoughts– the kind of mindset he has is one that is favored by the Corps– her reasons for helping him were a lot more selfish.
The way his eyes shone reminded her of a puppy waiting for treats. Even as he stood at his full height– a full six inches above her– the temptation to pat his head returned with a vengeance.
Not yet, but she held herself back. "For now, though," She paused, and opened a portal right behind the purple haired young man.
"Let's get you to a room."
It didn't take too long for her to place his things in an empty room. It was a pitiful room in all aspects, with a single window on the wall opposite to the door, and a single mattress laying on the floor. She offered to look for another room but he shook his head, saying that it was fine. The only clothes they had that would fit him was a large janitor's outfit, he said that that was fine as well. They both supposed that anything would work compared to the shirt and jeans that he'd apparently been wearing for a month.
Despite her insistence he did not require too much. He grabbed the outfit and asked for the shower, she gave him the directions and teleported back to the living room. She realized now that there was no smell left over, despite his obvious injuries there was not a speck of blood or sweat left on the couch.
As she grabbed the tablet she called out. "And what do you think of this compromise, Yacchi?"
She spoke to another young woman who sat on the couch the boy had sat on ten minutes prior. A fair-skinned young woman with long dark-blue hair tied into twintails with white ribbons.
Vice-Chief Yachiho Azuma glared at her Chief.
"Don't give me that look, how long have you been eavesdropping?"
The Vice-Chief huffed. "Since you first left to grab the tablet."
"So? What do you think?"
"Why are you so insistent on letting a guy stay here? You know the rules of the Corps better than most, you're a Chief!"
"Now now, don't be like that, having a guy here would be an eye-opening experience I think, neither of us have any experience in that regard."
Yachigo sat up with her arms crossed. "You do know that he won't be accepted as a member, even if it's you vouching for him."
"I know, but I'm still going to try."
Yachiho continued to glare at her Chief, and in response Tenka only kept the same smile on her face.
Finally, Yachiho relented with a huff. "Fine, I'll trust you on this, Chief."
The smile on Tenka's face widened. "Thank you–"
"But–!" The Azuma daughter raised her voice and held out a finger. "If he does anything uncouth towards anyone here–!"
To reiterate her point she closed her index and middle finger like a pair of scissors.
Tenka tilted her head. "I don't think he's that type of person, but I'll hold your word, I'll punish him if he purposely does something in that nature."
"Speaking of which." Tenka sat down on the opposite side of the couch that Yachiho was sitting on. "What do you think of him?"
"Didn't you–"
"Not of this arrangement, but I mean what do you think of him as a person?"
Yachiho leaned back and held her hand to her chin with a hum. There was a word that she felt would perfectly describe him, but she couldn't remember it.
"What was it again… damn it I just had it–"
She snapped her fingers. "Ah, that's right!"
She leaned forward with her elbow resting against her leg, she pointed at her chief with a smirk.
"Chuunibyou. I think he's a Chuuni."
Tenka tilted her head with a slow chuckle. "I wouldn't go that far…"
"How old is he?"
At the question, Tenka grabbed the tablet and pulled up his information. "19."
"Chuuni." As if she didn't need to say anything else, Yachiho leaned back with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile.
"I don't think he's–" Yachiho cut off Tenka before she could defend the young man.
"'I want to achieve that' he says while talking about some ancient samurai, in what world would that not be the signs of a chuuni?"
"I still wouldn't go that far." Tenka paused, thinking of the right word to describe the young man, "I would say instead he's… passionate."
"You don't sound so sure of that."
The Chief of the 6th Unit sighed. "If he were truly a chuunibyou then wouldn't he have introduced himself as some reincarnation of Kojiro instead of just listing the tale of Sasaki Kojiro as his dream? In the end it's a fable, so maybe the hidden message just really spoke to him." Whether or not Sasaki Kojiro lived, his tale of perseverance and dedication as both a master swordsman and the rival of Miyamoto Musashi is not to be understated. It's not something that Tenka herself found interest in, but she could see the appeal.
"Fair point." Yachiho relented on that point alone, "But I still stand by what I said."
"And nothing I say will convince you?"
The twin-tailed Azuma daughter shook her head. "Unless he does something to prove me otherwise, he'll forever be a chuunibyou."
Sorry Tsuda, Tenka apologized to the young man in her head.
trashtaker
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FUCK THEM BITCHES. SHOW THEM THE REGEND. THE SAVIOR OF FRANCE AND THE GODSLAYER SASAKI KOJIROU
Chapter 3
Dagaz
Getting out there.
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A sigh left Tsuda as the hot water engulfed him from his feet to his neck. Luckily for him, the onsen was empty, and he had taken the time to wash himself prior. This is exactly what he needed, laying his head back against a rock he felt all his stress seemingly vaporize.
He ran a hand over some scars that he gained from his time alone in Mato. They weren't fatal, the largest scar he got was a large slash on his back. Looking back at it, he felt that he was lucky. He only ran into a couple of Shuuki hoards and he had been able to escape from them after thinning their numbers.
Perhaps he's a crazy person, but then again if it weren't for that craziness he wouldn't be here.
He didn't think that he'd actually have a chance to become a member of the Corps (although, he thought that he shouldn't get his hopes up too high). He didn't know why she showed so much interest in him, but he couldn't complain.
If he can fight to his heart's content, without worrying about unrelated things, then that's all he needs.
Maybe he could spar with Tenka again. The Shuuki were a good way to keep up a routine but they didn't really allow for much growth unless it's a hoard of them. Sparring with another person is what allows for growth, outside of truly tense scenarios. At least, that's what both his foster mother and Musashi had said.
He turned his head towards his nodachi, it laid up against the wall on the far side of the room. A memory replayed in his head.
A ten year old Tsuda swung his large blade from above with a yell. He swung with purpose. The recipient of his attack countered by swinging from the left side. A loud clang echoed, followed by another. Right after the first swing, his sparring partner swung from the opposite side. The sheer force caused the sword to fly out of Tsuda's hand.
His legs gave out to exhaustion. His "opponent" walked up while sheathing her swords.
"I don't know why you are so dead-set on using an odachi." A soft feminine voice spoke to him. He looked up to see her hold out her hand. The sun above them casted a shadow over her face
"It's…" He grabbed her hand and allowed her to pull him up. "Because it feels right."
She looked at him with a conflicted look. A twitch in her lips and hesitation clear in her eyes.
"I'm not going to stop you from working towards your dreams, but just…" She looked off to the side with a shake of her head.
"I know that I'm the last one who should be saying this; but when the time comes, I want you to remember that there's more to life than just the sword. Especially during this time."
He looked at her confused.
"You're young, you still have the rest of life ahead of you, and I'm not saying that it's bad to dream!"
She grabbed one of her sheathed swords and held it out to him.
"I'm just telling you to be careful with your passions. The last thing you want is an obsession."
As a young child he didn't truly understand the purpose of her words, aside from the fact that they were a warning.
"Okay." So he nodded, even if not he didn't fully understand why she gave him this warning in the first place.
"Good." With one hand she placed a sheath back to her side and with the other she ruffled the hair on the boy's head. "Now let's go grab some Udon! I'm starving!"
Looking back at it, perhaps he should have headed her warning. He's not antisocial nor introverted but he also doesn't have any friends or regular acquaintances. It's not something he usually contemplates about, but humans are inherently social creatures.
Even he would be subjected to loneliness.
As the steam rose from the warm water, he felt a heaviness in his eyelids. His brain slowed down and he stretched with a yawn.
Hopefully they won't mind if he took a small nap—
Right as he finished the thought his head had already laid against the rock next to him, and his mind slipped into unconsciousness.
He awoke to the sound of splashing water.
"W-who?!" With a startled jump he frantically looked around, having slept with the threat of Shuuki for the past month it was only natural that he'd be on edge if something suddenly wakes him up.
"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"
He turned his head towards the source of the voice, coming face to face with a girl who looked to be about the same age as him. A well-endowed young woman with fluffy orange hair that flowed down to her back.
He took a second for his mind to stop racing, his fight or flight response calming down. With a sigh he shook his head. "You did, but it's fine. I probably—" he yawned, "—shouldn't sleep here."
So he says, yet his eyes were getting heavy again, fatigue attempting to take reign over his mind. He wanted to at least introduce himself, but his mind wants to recharge.
"S-sorry…"
The obvious problem with the current scenario didn't seem to register as the young man fell asleep again. The orange-haired girl sat in the hot spring on the opposite side. Neither of them wore a towel.
Her eyes narrowed before widening.
She didn't realize it before, but since she has a better look at this angle, she finally realized the current problem.
The person across from her is a male.
Perhaps she should have done something, a young man sat in the hot spring of a girls-only dorm, that was just asking for trouble. Yet as she observed the sleeping young man, she felt a weight in her eyes as well.
Well, if he was able to sleep so soundly then maybe someone else allowed him here. With one final thought she allowed herself to fall into unconsciousness.
It's been ten minutes since Tsuda left for the hot spring. Tenka sat on the couch while swiping through her tablet, having just finished cleaning out the young man's new room. She planned to be honest in her attempt to get the young man into the Anti-Demon Corps, but honesty can only go so far. Though she is on the Head-Commander's good side, even she couldn't just walk up and say, "I find this young man interesting, could he join us?" without good reason.
Perhaps if he was a woman she could do so. It's not because of some sense of "gender superiority" that men can't join the Anti-Demon Corps (though some act as though it is). It's the simple fact that Peaches do not work with males. For whatever the reason, only females are granted supernatural abilities from the Peaches.
Having completely natural people within the supernatural word of Mato is just asking for casualties. Even the men who married into the Azuma family are rarely allowed into their Unit base in Mato.
As she looked through Tsuda's records a thought came to her mind. What if she showed exactly why she's interested? His capabilities despite being a normal human, showing that off could help. It would put him on the Head-Commander's radar, but such is a risk that she's willing to take.
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps, she looked up to see Yachiho—wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants— walking back into the living. The Vice-Chief's breath was heavy, and sweat traveled down her forehead.
The twin-tailed girl looked around, "Is Sahara back yet?"
Tenka nodded. "She just arrived. She went straight to the onsen."
"Hm." Yachiho acknowledged, yet she felt that there was something missing. She raised an eyebrow, "Where's the male?"
"Last I saw him he had gone to the onsen, ten minutes ago. Also, maybe you shouldn't refer to him like that."
"Hm." The twin-tailed girl ignored the last bit. "Is he still there?"
The Chief tilted her head. "I don't think so, but if he had already finished then he didn't return to his room— I had just finished cleaning it."
Yachiho's eyes twitched. "So you let Sahara go into the onsen with some random stranger loose in the building."
Tenka released an amused sigh. "He's definitely not the type to do the things you're insinuating, and you really don't need to refer to him like he's some wild animal."
"How can you be so sure? Also me treating him like an animal? You're the one who dragged him here as if he were a lost puppy!"
At the accusation, Tenka shrugged. She attempted to hide the smile that threatened to spill out.
"You—" Yachiho groaned, before she stomped off. "Fine then!"
"Where are you going?"
"To make sure he's not doing anything unsavory!"
Yachiho's voice faded as she stomped off, leaving Tenka alone once again.
Meanwhile it took Yachiho a minute to get to the onsen, she slammed the door open and stepped into the room.
"Sahara! Are you—?"
She came to see if Sahara was alright, and when she arrived at the hot spring she stopped, witnessing a strange scenario. On one end of the hot spring laid Sahara, her head resting against the ground while the rest of her body rested within the water. On the other end the young man laid his head against a rock.
Both of them were asleep.
"What the hell?!"
After that mishap, all three of them walked to the living room. Tsuda and Sahara walked with a limp in their steps and bags in their eyes— the young man even used his sheathed nodachi like a cane at moments. Sahara was dragged out first, forcefully dried and placed into a backup uniform.
Tsuda had to get out or else the twin-tailed girl continued to scream at him. He changed into the only outfit that was his size, a large janitor's outfit— one that was obviously meant for a female. He pulled at it a bit, groaning at the design.
What is the obsession with chest windows? He thought to himself. The outfit wasn't even too tight yet the chest window made him feel exposed.
At least it's better than wearing the same clothes for a month.
The three made their way to the living room, where Tenka stood with a smile. Her gaze focusing on Tsuda as soon as he enters her line of vision. "How are you feeling?"
The young man tilted his neck, stretching it with a pop. "A lot better."
The Chief nodded with a hum. "That's good to hear. Oh, and don't worry about the lack of clothing for now, we'll deal with that later."
"Can it be soon?" He asked, lightly poking at the janitor's outfit he wore.
"Right when you wake up tomorrow we'll get you something."
Tsuda sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"I don't know why you're so adamant about this." The Azuma daughter scoffed. She walked over to the couch and sat down, nearly flopping onto it. She ignored the fact that her colleagues were wearing their uniforms while she was still in her sweats. Though she made sure to keep him in the corner of her vision, ready to strike the moment his eyes wander too much.
"You're not going to get him to become a member even if you begged, there's a reason there's no men here."
"Oh, I know he won't be a legitimate member," Tsuda's dream life almost shattered at her words, until she continued. "But I'm going to try and get permission for him to stay here."
"Um…" A soft voice called out. The two girls looked over to the third girl. "What is going on?" Sahara Wakara asked.
"Chief Tenka is obsessed with a stray pet she found off the street." Yachiho folded her arms.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Tsuda finally asked with a twitch of his eye. He didn't retaliate towards Tenka when she had teased him prior— mostly because there wasn't anything he could have done. But the young girl across from him spoke down to him. "I'm not some stray dog."
"True, you're pretty obedient for a stray."
He didn't know why she was trying to pester him, but he retaliated either way.
"Do you want to get bit? Even a domesticated dog can get wild, you know." He said the first thing that came to mind.
He actually wasn't offended, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't attempting to egg her on. The curiosity of her Peach ability latched onto him. His hand twitched as he held himself back. He wasn't bloodthirsty nor a violent person, but the prospect of fighting something supernatural caused a spark to light within him. He wouldn't have had this opportunity before sneaking into Mato.
Yachiho tilted her head in Tenka's direction, giving the Chief a look that said "what did I tell you?"
Tenka released an exhausted sigh— a rare occurrence for her.
"Yacchi that's not—"
"Maybe this is a good chance." Tsuda stood up faster than any of them expected, he held his sheathed sword, little by little he allowed for a smile to form on his face. "It's obvious you don't think I belong here, so then let me show you. Just one spar is all I need."
"Hm." Yachiho quickly got over her surprise, raising an eyebrow in the young man's direction. "And why should I do that? We both know that–"
"I'll win?" Tsuda cut her off with a smirk, one that the twin-tailed girl misinterpreted. She narrowed her eyes at the boy, getting annoyed by his (seemingly out of nowhere) hubris.
But it wasn't hubris the young man had. In truth, he didn't think there was a good chance he would win, but that's exactly why he interrupted her in the first place. He didn't know what her ability was and a voice in his head was pleading for him to find out firsthand. Just the prospect of sparring with someone who had a supernatural ability had his blood pumping.
He side-eyed Tenka for a moment before refocusing on Yachiho. In truth he didn't need to do this, he could have just ignored the condescending girl, after all if Tenka did somehow get permission for him to stay here then he would have multiple chances to prove himself.
However–
His mind had long been awake since he was interrupted from his nap (which only lasted ten minutes cuz of Yachiho).
He doesn't have many chances to spar with other people, the only time he does is when Musashi visits.
He wanted this.
They continued to glare at each other before Yachiho's lips formed into a sharp smile– not too dissimilar from the one on Tsuda's own face. She made up her mind, she's going to enjoy knocking that smirk off his face.
In his face she saw someone delusional, someone who doesn't know how the world works. Tsuda leaned into that just to start a fight. Yachiho didn't see what Tenka saw, so all she could assume is that Tsuda was just running around hiding to survive. In fact, Yachiho fully believed the boy was lying about fighting the Shuuki alone for a month.
Yachiho opened her mouth, ready to accept his challenge, but someone interrupted her.
"Alright! This has been fun, but I'm afraid that I'll have to put a stop to this." Tenka held out her hand, placing it between the two. Yachiho wanted to whine, but the smile on Tenka's face stopped whatever was about to come out of the young girl's mouth. The Azuma daughter huffed. 'We'll talk later' she mouthed to her Chief.
"Fine." Yachiho walked off. Though she kept in her mind her decision. She doesn't believe that Tsuda will be allowed to stay in Mato, but if by some idiotic miracle that he does, then she knows exactly what she's going to do. Tenka looked on as Yachiho walked away, shaking her head with a sigh.
"I apologize for Yachiho's behavior." Tenka apologized.
"She's normally—" not like this, Tenka was about to add, but as she looked back on her Vice Chief, she realized that Yachiho is, in fact, like this normally. The one thing off about her is that, "She's usually not so confrontational."
She turned back to Tsuda to gather his thoughts, but as she looked at the young man, he had a strange look to her. He gazed into her eyes, but his eyes were slightly twitching– or maybe squirming, Tenka assumed– as if he was trying not to glare at him. She knew he was attempting not to because he was currently failing at doing so. His frown twitched in a similar way.
"Are–" The look on his face was simply because… "Are you pouting?"
"What?" His eyes widened, and as he felt his face with his hands he could feel a warmth spread across it. "No? No, I'm not." Or at least, he didn't believe he was pouting.
Was he pouting?
"You are pouting. That's adorable!"
He was pouting.
"I'm not!"
Tsuda—having enough of the teasing— turned around and walked off. His form hunched over, and his voice grumbled, his fun having been ruined.
"I'm calling it a night."
"Alright, good night." But Tenka wasn't done with her fun. With a smug smile on her face, she held out her hand, "If you want, I can scratch your head until you fall asleep."
"I'm not a dog!" He barked. His figure disappeared around the corner.
Sahara— who was still slouching on the couch— turned to her Chief and asked, "Does he know where his room is?"
Tenka shook her head with a smile. "I don't think he does."
Tenka had guided Tsuda back to his room, which had also been cleaned by her while he was in the hot spring. By the time Tenka returned to the living room. Sahara had already walked off to her own room to sleep as well. Now, only two people sat.
Yachiho looked at Tenka with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed. Yachiho was condescending towards those she thought weaker, but she also knew how to respect those stronger.
"You may speak." Tenka assured, "you're my Vice-Chief after all, I'm open to any concerns you have."
"Why are you so adamant about keeping him here?" Without missing a beat, Yachiho repeated her question from earlier. "You aren't the type to look for some boy-toy to mess around with, and even then, I know you wouldn't be dumb enough to keep him around here of all places."
"I can't really give a logical answer. I mean, of course, I'm not keeping him here for that." Tenka hummed. "However, if you saw what I saw then I think you'd be just as interested."
"How about this," the Chief held out a finger, testing the waters for a compromise, "if you'd like, you can come with us when we visit the Head-Commander tomorrow."
"You're going that far!?" Yachiho stood up, "why!? Don't tell me that you fell in love at first sight, or some bullshit like that."
Tenka shook her head. "Of course not. But…"
She paused, gathering her thoughts. It's hard to explain why but if she truly had to explain then…
"I like to live life to its fullest, you know this." She started.
"Yeah, but—"
"Call it intuition, or a gut feeling," Tenka continued, a glint present in her eye, "but I feel as though if I let him go now, then I'll be missing the opportunity of a lifetime."
"You…" Yachiho groaned, flopping back onto the couch. She respected her Chief more than most of her own family, so even if she disagreed with her Chief, she relented. "I don't understand it, but if you aren't going to change your mind then I won't probe anymore."
The lime-haired girl smiled, "Thank you—"
"I won't be going with you two, someone has to watch over this place. However—!" The twin-tailed girl sat up straight and held out a finger. "If you somehow do get permission for him to stay here, then I will make him regret wanting it."
It's a fact that they both are aware of, Yachiho said it once and she'll say it again, "There's a good reason people without a Peach ability aren't allowed here. I don't want to see some kid die because he allowed for the Chuuni in him to reign over his decisions."
"But he's your age."
"That— my point still stands!"
Tenka crossed her legs. With a genuine smile present on her face she said, "I think that if you saw him fight, you wouldn't be calling him delusional. Besides, I'm not just going to let him die either."
Yachiho scoffed. She still didn't believe in Tsuda, but if Tenka was willing to defend him, if Tenka was willing to put trust in him, then she had no choice but to give him a chance. "Fine, we'll see."
She decided that she'll give him one chance, but only one chance. With their conversation done, Yachiho stood up and walked away back to her room, leaving Tenka alone with her thoughts. Was this the smartest decision? Most likely not, but she hopes that she can confidently say that it's a decision she didn't regret.
He ran a hand over some scars that he gained from his time alone in Mato. They weren't fatal, the largest scar he got was a large slash on his back. Looking back at it, he felt that he was lucky. He only ran into a couple of Shuuki hoards and he had been able to escape from them after thinning their numbers.
Perhaps he's a crazy person, but then again if it weren't for that craziness he wouldn't be here.
He didn't think that he'd actually have a chance to become a member of the Corps (although, he thought that he shouldn't get his hopes up too high). He didn't know why she showed so much interest in him, but he couldn't complain.
If he can fight to his heart's content, without worrying about unrelated things, then that's all he needs.
Maybe he could spar with Tenka again. The Shuuki were a good way to keep up a routine but they didn't really allow for much growth unless it's a hoard of them. Sparring with another person is what allows for growth, outside of truly tense scenarios. At least, that's what both his foster mother and Musashi had said.
He turned his head towards his nodachi, it laid up against the wall on the far side of the room. A memory replayed in his head.
A ten year old Tsuda swung his large blade from above with a yell. He swung with purpose. The recipient of his attack countered by swinging from the left side. A loud clang echoed, followed by another. Right after the first swing, his sparring partner swung from the opposite side. The sheer force caused the sword to fly out of Tsuda's hand.
His legs gave out to exhaustion. His "opponent" walked up while sheathing her swords.
"I don't know why you are so dead-set on using an odachi." A soft feminine voice spoke to him. He looked up to see her hold out her hand. The sun above them casted a shadow over her face
"It's…" He grabbed her hand and allowed her to pull him up. "Because it feels right."
She looked at him with a conflicted look. A twitch in her lips and hesitation clear in her eyes.
"I'm not going to stop you from working towards your dreams, but just…" She looked off to the side with a shake of her head.
"I know that I'm the last one who should be saying this; but when the time comes, I want you to remember that there's more to life than just the sword. Especially during this time."
He looked at her confused.
"You're young, you still have the rest of life ahead of you, and I'm not saying that it's bad to dream!"
She grabbed one of her sheathed swords and held it out to him.
"I'm just telling you to be careful with your passions. The last thing you want is an obsession."
As a young child he didn't truly understand the purpose of her words, aside from the fact that they were a warning.
"Okay." So he nodded, even if not he didn't fully understand why she gave him this warning in the first place.
"Good." With one hand she placed a sheath back to her side and with the other she ruffled the hair on the boy's head. "Now let's go grab some Udon! I'm starving!"
Looking back at it, perhaps he should have headed her warning. He's not antisocial nor introverted but he also doesn't have any friends or regular acquaintances. It's not something he usually contemplates about, but humans are inherently social creatures.
Even he would be subjected to loneliness.
As the steam rose from the warm water, he felt a heaviness in his eyelids. His brain slowed down and he stretched with a yawn.
Hopefully they won't mind if he took a small nap—
Right as he finished the thought his head had already laid against the rock next to him, and his mind slipped into unconsciousness.
He awoke to the sound of splashing water.
"W-who?!" With a startled jump he frantically looked around, having slept with the threat of Shuuki for the past month it was only natural that he'd be on edge if something suddenly wakes him up.
"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"
He turned his head towards the source of the voice, coming face to face with a girl who looked to be about the same age as him. A well-endowed young woman with fluffy orange hair that flowed down to her back.
He took a second for his mind to stop racing, his fight or flight response calming down. With a sigh he shook his head. "You did, but it's fine. I probably—" he yawned, "—shouldn't sleep here."
So he says, yet his eyes were getting heavy again, fatigue attempting to take reign over his mind. He wanted to at least introduce himself, but his mind wants to recharge.
"S-sorry…"
The obvious problem with the current scenario didn't seem to register as the young man fell asleep again. The orange-haired girl sat in the hot spring on the opposite side. Neither of them wore a towel.
Her eyes narrowed before widening.
She didn't realize it before, but since she has a better look at this angle, she finally realized the current problem.
The person across from her is a male.
Perhaps she should have done something, a young man sat in the hot spring of a girls-only dorm, that was just asking for trouble. Yet as she observed the sleeping young man, she felt a weight in her eyes as well.
Well, if he was able to sleep so soundly then maybe someone else allowed him here. With one final thought she allowed herself to fall into unconsciousness.
It's been ten minutes since Tsuda left for the hot spring. Tenka sat on the couch while swiping through her tablet, having just finished cleaning out the young man's new room. She planned to be honest in her attempt to get the young man into the Anti-Demon Corps, but honesty can only go so far. Though she is on the Head-Commander's good side, even she couldn't just walk up and say, "I find this young man interesting, could he join us?" without good reason.
Perhaps if he was a woman she could do so. It's not because of some sense of "gender superiority" that men can't join the Anti-Demon Corps (though some act as though it is). It's the simple fact that Peaches do not work with males. For whatever the reason, only females are granted supernatural abilities from the Peaches.
Having completely natural people within the supernatural word of Mato is just asking for casualties. Even the men who married into the Azuma family are rarely allowed into their Unit base in Mato.
As she looked through Tsuda's records a thought came to her mind. What if she showed exactly why she's interested? His capabilities despite being a normal human, showing that off could help. It would put him on the Head-Commander's radar, but such is a risk that she's willing to take.
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps, she looked up to see Yachiho—wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants— walking back into the living. The Vice-Chief's breath was heavy, and sweat traveled down her forehead.
The twin-tailed girl looked around, "Is Sahara back yet?"
Tenka nodded. "She just arrived. She went straight to the onsen."
"Hm." Yachiho acknowledged, yet she felt that there was something missing. She raised an eyebrow, "Where's the male?"
"Last I saw him he had gone to the onsen, ten minutes ago. Also, maybe you shouldn't refer to him like that."
"Hm." The twin-tailed girl ignored the last bit. "Is he still there?"
The Chief tilted her head. "I don't think so, but if he had already finished then he didn't return to his room— I had just finished cleaning it."
Yachiho's eyes twitched. "So you let Sahara go into the onsen with some random stranger loose in the building."
Tenka released an amused sigh. "He's definitely not the type to do the things you're insinuating, and you really don't need to refer to him like he's some wild animal."
"How can you be so sure? Also me treating him like an animal? You're the one who dragged him here as if he were a lost puppy!"
At the accusation, Tenka shrugged. She attempted to hide the smile that threatened to spill out.
"You—" Yachiho groaned, before she stomped off. "Fine then!"
"Where are you going?"
"To make sure he's not doing anything unsavory!"
Yachiho's voice faded as she stomped off, leaving Tenka alone once again.
Meanwhile it took Yachiho a minute to get to the onsen, she slammed the door open and stepped into the room.
"Sahara! Are you—?"
She came to see if Sahara was alright, and when she arrived at the hot spring she stopped, witnessing a strange scenario. On one end of the hot spring laid Sahara, her head resting against the ground while the rest of her body rested within the water. On the other end the young man laid his head against a rock.
Both of them were asleep.
"What the hell?!"
After that mishap, all three of them walked to the living room. Tsuda and Sahara walked with a limp in their steps and bags in their eyes— the young man even used his sheathed nodachi like a cane at moments. Sahara was dragged out first, forcefully dried and placed into a backup uniform.
Tsuda had to get out or else the twin-tailed girl continued to scream at him. He changed into the only outfit that was his size, a large janitor's outfit— one that was obviously meant for a female. He pulled at it a bit, groaning at the design.
What is the obsession with chest windows? He thought to himself. The outfit wasn't even too tight yet the chest window made him feel exposed.
At least it's better than wearing the same clothes for a month.
The three made their way to the living room, where Tenka stood with a smile. Her gaze focusing on Tsuda as soon as he enters her line of vision. "How are you feeling?"
The young man tilted his neck, stretching it with a pop. "A lot better."
The Chief nodded with a hum. "That's good to hear. Oh, and don't worry about the lack of clothing for now, we'll deal with that later."
"Can it be soon?" He asked, lightly poking at the janitor's outfit he wore.
"Right when you wake up tomorrow we'll get you something."
Tsuda sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"I don't know why you're so adamant about this." The Azuma daughter scoffed. She walked over to the couch and sat down, nearly flopping onto it. She ignored the fact that her colleagues were wearing their uniforms while she was still in her sweats. Though she made sure to keep him in the corner of her vision, ready to strike the moment his eyes wander too much.
"You're not going to get him to become a member even if you begged, there's a reason there's no men here."
"Oh, I know he won't be a legitimate member," Tsuda's dream life almost shattered at her words, until she continued. "But I'm going to try and get permission for him to stay here."
"Um…" A soft voice called out. The two girls looked over to the third girl. "What is going on?" Sahara Wakara asked.
"Chief Tenka is obsessed with a stray pet she found off the street." Yachiho folded her arms.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Tsuda finally asked with a twitch of his eye. He didn't retaliate towards Tenka when she had teased him prior— mostly because there wasn't anything he could have done. But the young girl across from him spoke down to him. "I'm not some stray dog."
"True, you're pretty obedient for a stray."
He didn't know why she was trying to pester him, but he retaliated either way.
"Do you want to get bit? Even a domesticated dog can get wild, you know." He said the first thing that came to mind.
He actually wasn't offended, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't attempting to egg her on. The curiosity of her Peach ability latched onto him. His hand twitched as he held himself back. He wasn't bloodthirsty nor a violent person, but the prospect of fighting something supernatural caused a spark to light within him. He wouldn't have had this opportunity before sneaking into Mato.
Yachiho tilted her head in Tenka's direction, giving the Chief a look that said "what did I tell you?"
Tenka released an exhausted sigh— a rare occurrence for her.
"Yacchi that's not—"
"Maybe this is a good chance." Tsuda stood up faster than any of them expected, he held his sheathed sword, little by little he allowed for a smile to form on his face. "It's obvious you don't think I belong here, so then let me show you. Just one spar is all I need."
"Hm." Yachiho quickly got over her surprise, raising an eyebrow in the young man's direction. "And why should I do that? We both know that–"
"I'll win?" Tsuda cut her off with a smirk, one that the twin-tailed girl misinterpreted. She narrowed her eyes at the boy, getting annoyed by his (seemingly out of nowhere) hubris.
But it wasn't hubris the young man had. In truth, he didn't think there was a good chance he would win, but that's exactly why he interrupted her in the first place. He didn't know what her ability was and a voice in his head was pleading for him to find out firsthand. Just the prospect of sparring with someone who had a supernatural ability had his blood pumping.
He side-eyed Tenka for a moment before refocusing on Yachiho. In truth he didn't need to do this, he could have just ignored the condescending girl, after all if Tenka did somehow get permission for him to stay here then he would have multiple chances to prove himself.
However–
His mind had long been awake since he was interrupted from his nap (which only lasted ten minutes cuz of Yachiho).
He doesn't have many chances to spar with other people, the only time he does is when Musashi visits.
He wanted this.
They continued to glare at each other before Yachiho's lips formed into a sharp smile– not too dissimilar from the one on Tsuda's own face. She made up her mind, she's going to enjoy knocking that smirk off his face.
In his face she saw someone delusional, someone who doesn't know how the world works. Tsuda leaned into that just to start a fight. Yachiho didn't see what Tenka saw, so all she could assume is that Tsuda was just running around hiding to survive. In fact, Yachiho fully believed the boy was lying about fighting the Shuuki alone for a month.
Yachiho opened her mouth, ready to accept his challenge, but someone interrupted her.
"Alright! This has been fun, but I'm afraid that I'll have to put a stop to this." Tenka held out her hand, placing it between the two. Yachiho wanted to whine, but the smile on Tenka's face stopped whatever was about to come out of the young girl's mouth. The Azuma daughter huffed. 'We'll talk later' she mouthed to her Chief.
"Fine." Yachiho walked off. Though she kept in her mind her decision. She doesn't believe that Tsuda will be allowed to stay in Mato, but if by some idiotic miracle that he does, then she knows exactly what she's going to do. Tenka looked on as Yachiho walked away, shaking her head with a sigh.
"I apologize for Yachiho's behavior." Tenka apologized.
"She's normally—" not like this, Tenka was about to add, but as she looked back on her Vice Chief, she realized that Yachiho is, in fact, like this normally. The one thing off about her is that, "She's usually not so confrontational."
She turned back to Tsuda to gather his thoughts, but as she looked at the young man, he had a strange look to her. He gazed into her eyes, but his eyes were slightly twitching– or maybe squirming, Tenka assumed– as if he was trying not to glare at him. She knew he was attempting not to because he was currently failing at doing so. His frown twitched in a similar way.
"Are–" The look on his face was simply because… "Are you pouting?"
"What?" His eyes widened, and as he felt his face with his hands he could feel a warmth spread across it. "No? No, I'm not." Or at least, he didn't believe he was pouting.
Was he pouting?
"You are pouting. That's adorable!"
He was pouting.
"I'm not!"
Tsuda—having enough of the teasing— turned around and walked off. His form hunched over, and his voice grumbled, his fun having been ruined.
"I'm calling it a night."
"Alright, good night." But Tenka wasn't done with her fun. With a smug smile on her face, she held out her hand, "If you want, I can scratch your head until you fall asleep."
"I'm not a dog!" He barked. His figure disappeared around the corner.
Sahara— who was still slouching on the couch— turned to her Chief and asked, "Does he know where his room is?"
Tenka shook her head with a smile. "I don't think he does."
Tenka had guided Tsuda back to his room, which had also been cleaned by her while he was in the hot spring. By the time Tenka returned to the living room. Sahara had already walked off to her own room to sleep as well. Now, only two people sat.
Yachiho looked at Tenka with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed. Yachiho was condescending towards those she thought weaker, but she also knew how to respect those stronger.
"You may speak." Tenka assured, "you're my Vice-Chief after all, I'm open to any concerns you have."
"Why are you so adamant about keeping him here?" Without missing a beat, Yachiho repeated her question from earlier. "You aren't the type to look for some boy-toy to mess around with, and even then, I know you wouldn't be dumb enough to keep him around here of all places."
"I can't really give a logical answer. I mean, of course, I'm not keeping him here for that." Tenka hummed. "However, if you saw what I saw then I think you'd be just as interested."
"How about this," the Chief held out a finger, testing the waters for a compromise, "if you'd like, you can come with us when we visit the Head-Commander tomorrow."
"You're going that far!?" Yachiho stood up, "why!? Don't tell me that you fell in love at first sight, or some bullshit like that."
Tenka shook her head. "Of course not. But…"
She paused, gathering her thoughts. It's hard to explain why but if she truly had to explain then…
"I like to live life to its fullest, you know this." She started.
"Yeah, but—"
"Call it intuition, or a gut feeling," Tenka continued, a glint present in her eye, "but I feel as though if I let him go now, then I'll be missing the opportunity of a lifetime."
"You…" Yachiho groaned, flopping back onto the couch. She respected her Chief more than most of her own family, so even if she disagreed with her Chief, she relented. "I don't understand it, but if you aren't going to change your mind then I won't probe anymore."
The lime-haired girl smiled, "Thank you—"
"I won't be going with you two, someone has to watch over this place. However—!" The twin-tailed girl sat up straight and held out a finger. "If you somehow do get permission for him to stay here, then I will make him regret wanting it."
It's a fact that they both are aware of, Yachiho said it once and she'll say it again, "There's a good reason people without a Peach ability aren't allowed here. I don't want to see some kid die because he allowed for the Chuuni in him to reign over his decisions."
"But he's your age."
"That— my point still stands!"
Tenka crossed her legs. With a genuine smile present on her face she said, "I think that if you saw him fight, you wouldn't be calling him delusional. Besides, I'm not just going to let him die either."
Yachiho scoffed. She still didn't believe in Tsuda, but if Tenka was willing to defend him, if Tenka was willing to put trust in him, then she had no choice but to give him a chance. "Fine, we'll see."
She decided that she'll give him one chance, but only one chance. With their conversation done, Yachiho stood up and walked away back to her room, leaving Tenka alone with her thoughts. Was this the smartest decision? Most likely not, but she hopes that she can confidently say that it's a decision she didn't regret.
Chapter 4
Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
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Tsuda only had that dream twice and both times they were the same. The young swordsman with hair similar to his own, the sand underneath his feet, the forest behind them and the river between them. Twice he's had that dream and twice were they the same.
He was five and six respectively when he had those dreams. Ever since then the man—who Tsuda assumes to be Sasaki Kojiro— and the dreams have never appeared again…
Until now.
This time the landscape was different, instead of the familiar scene of the forest by the river ,there was only grass. Grass that spanned to every horizon. This time, the man in Tsuda's dream swung his sword at another person. The clashing of steel echoed. Kojiro swung his nodachi with the intent to kill, his eyes focused only on the opponent in front of him.
Tsuda couldn't get a good look at who the man was fighting, but it didn't truly matter either way. Kojiro's victory was set from the very beginning. The man screamed as he swung at the legendary swordsman.
Kojiro merely stepped to the side.
"It's over."
He did not take a stance, he didn't need to, he merely held his sword straight.
Two slashes, two swings, two attacks, instantaneously.
Within the blink of an eye, Kojiro's opponent fell to the ground– much like the swallow that Tsuda saw in his first dream.
Two slashes marked an "X" on the fallen warrior's body.
There it was again. The very technique that had mesmerized the younger man. Tsuda couldn't help but hold out his hand. He wanted to achieve that. He wanted to be just like that.
He wanted to–
He took a step forward–a single step forward–and the dream shifted.
He found himself directly in front of the legendary swordsman, who's hair covered his eyes. From Tsuda's angle Kojiro's hair casted a shadow over his eyes. The younger man didn't know how he got in this position but considering it's only a dream he didn't question it.
Could he…?
"Kojiro–" Tsuda called out to the man, taking another step forward and preparing to hold out his hand. Could he finally interact with him? There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to know, and even if this is a dream, he wanted to at least try something.
But the legendary swordsman did not let the young man finish, he gripped onto his nodachi tighter and swung.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from the right.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from above.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from the left.
The taste of blood filled the young man's mouth. His eyes widened as pain filled his chest. He looked down, three slashes marked his own chest. To most all they would perceive is their deaths, and only those on Kojiro's level and above could comprehend this attack.
But to Tsuda he saw exactly what happened, as if it played out in frames. Each swing curved at an angle, blocking off any form of escape and rendering any sort of shield as useless.
He fell backwards. A pool of blood flowing underneath him. His vision faded to black with a single whisper leaving Kojiro's mouth.
"Tsubame Gaeshi."
Tsuda awoke with a gasp. He grasped at his chest with heavy breaths, feeling no form of damage aside from the scars of past challenges. Why did he see this dream now?
After all this time, after days, after months, after years, after more than a decade he finally has a dream relating to Kojiro again.
He doesn't understand it. Was there a purpose to this dream? Was he missing something? He felt as though he had to be.
Whatever it was he wouldn't find any answer. But for now, answers aren't what he focused on, no, what he focused on most was–
That technique, it's improved since he last saw it in a dream a decade ago. Two swings turned into three.
He steadied his beating heart, taking in deep breaths. He knows more than anyone that what he wishes to achieve is impossible.
But still—
He looked towards his own nodachi that laid against the wall on the other side of the room, sheathed in black leather.
"Sorry Musashi," He apologized to the woman who he hasn't seen in years but still left a lasting effect on him. She warned him of obsessions and passions, and looking back at it it was easy to see why. Some part of him wishes he actually listened to her, actually took her words to heart.
But he's already too far down this path to choose another one, and he couldn't even imagine any other path. He got up from his bed and stretched, walking towards his sheathed blade and picking it up.
"But this is all I am."
"Oh, are you up?" A moment later the door opened, revealing Tenka. In one arm she held a pile of clothes. "Did you sleep well?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't bad."
Tenka looked towards the mattress on the floor, a slight cringe on her face. "I apologize for this, if you give us some time we can–"
He waved off her concern. "Don't worry about it, I've slept in worse."
"Alright." She held it off for now, keeping a note to help make the room more presentable sometime later. "Anyways, I gathered some clothes for you," She thrusted the clothes in her arm towards him, startling him slightly. "I used the sizes from the clothing that you arrived with, but if there's one too big or tight then just let me know."
He looked at the clothes with a look of surprise. "T-thank you." He said with a tilted smile, unsure of how to completely show his gratitude.
The smile on her face was not something he was accustomed to. "Of course."
He grabbed a random pair of shorts and a shirt from the handful, and proceeded to unbutton the outfit that he had been wearing.
A hum gained his attention, he looked back up to see Tenka standing at the door, having not moved from the spot.
"Do… Do you mind?" He asked. Despite the debacle in the hot spring yesterday, even he would feel embarrassed if he stripped down in front of a woman.
"No." She shook her head, her gaze focused solely on him. "Oh! Oh, right. My bad." Then, as if remembering exactly where she was, she quickly shook her head and turned around.
Opening the door she turned her head, "Oh, and one last thing. We're going to see the Head-Commander to talk about your predicament in an hour."
She closed the door right afterwards
"What?"
She definitely played it safe with his clothes, as they were just single colors. White shirt and dark blue jeans. It wasn't anything special but it was more than enough for Tsuda.
He held his sheathed nodachi in his left hand. Anticipation filled his heart, even though he knew he shouldn't be expecting much. If he were to be looking at it realistically, he should have been sent home right after he was cleaned up. Looking at it realistically the Head-Commander wouldn't even bother with him.
But at the moment he wasn't thinking realistically.
"Your tail's wagging." Then a condescending voice had to break him out of his stupor. His stance visibly hunched forward for a second before he stood straight up.
"Are we still doing that? I thought that was over with." He turned slightly towards the Vice-Chief.
Yachiho walked up to him with a scowl, she had already been in her uniform, having woken up hours prior.
"I'll stop when I want to, besides," She gave him a look over, her eyes focusing on his messy hair, "If that's how you look in the morning then you aren't helping yourself."
He finally noticed that half of his face had been covered by his hair, somehow. He gently tugged at a few strands of hair before sighing. "I'll deal with that later."
"You're definitely not going to visit the first Unit looking like that."
"Of course not." He bristled, "I just said I'll deal with it later."
For reasons unbeknownst to him she kept pestering him, poking at him again and again until they reached the living room.
Evidently their argument spiraled from 'you should brush your hair right now' to 'do you even do anything?'
Tenka sat on the couch, leaning against the side with a cup of water in her hand, stuck in her own little world within her thoughts, which was broken by yelling coming from the hallway.
She tilted her head to see Yachiho and Tsuda walking in, the two in a heated argument.
"You don't know how to cook?" Yachiho asked a simple question, one that caused Tsuda's mouth to clamp shut in response. "Really? In this economy?"
"I know enough."
"Let me guess, all you know is how to boil rice."
He did not respond.
Yachiho shook her head, walking towards the couch right next to Tenka. "You're hopeless."
Tenka shook her head with an amused smile. She looked towards Tsuda, who opted to slouch against the couch across from her, noticing his messy hair. She stood up and walked over towards him.
He looked up at her when her shadow towered over him, with a curious gaze he wanted to question her, but before he could a portal opened behind her.
"Excuse me." She turned around and walked into the portal, coming back out a second later with a brush in her hand.
"Wha–" He made to stand up, but he was once again cut off when she gently placed a hand through his hair.
"Let me just…" She spoke calmly. Calmly brushing his hair with both the hairbrush and her hand.
Tsuda sat still, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Even Musashi's teasing didn't go this far. He wasn't shy of women, but what else was he supposed to think in this situation, what else was he supposed to do?
"Ack– Hey!" The brush caught a knot in his hair, causing him to shift his head slightly.
"Sorry about that." Tenka responded softly. "Your hair is surprisingly soft…"
Once again he didn't know what to do, so he did nothing. He just allowed her to do what she wanted, despite the embarrassment coursing through him. He tried his hardest to hide the fact that his face was slightly heating up.
His blush only deepened when he heard a snort. He looked to see Yachiho holding her hand to her mouth. She chuckled when their eyes met.
"Tch!"
Even if "appearing masculine" wasn't something that Tsuda worried himself with, even he had some pride!
Even he would find it problematic if he was treated like a random mutt.
Just bear with it for now. He told himself, all of this humiliation would be worth it, or so he told himself. Yet despite the "humiliation", he couldn't find it in himself to hate it. Subconsciously he ended up tilting his head towards Tenka.
A minute passed, Tenka clapped her hands once. "Done!"
She took steps back to admire her handiwork.
Yachiho took a breath, gathering herself. She looked over to Tenka with a smug smile and raised eyebrow. "You're enjoying yourself too much."
"Hm? Is it that obvious?"
"It is." Tsuda answered as even he could tell. Despite looking away to hide his reddening face, he thanked her anyway. "Thank you…." He mumbled.
"Of course."
She walked back to the couch and placed the brush on the table next to it.
"Now then," She checked the time, "We have thirty minutes, I suppose that's good enough."
"I'm sure the Head-Commander won't mind if we're a bit early." A portal opened in the middle of the living room, Tenka walked up towards it and held out her hand to the young man.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
He grasped her hand in turn. With eyes full of conviction he nodded. "More than ready."
"We'll be back." Tenka waved towards her Vice-Chief, and the two stepped into the portal. It closed a moment after, leaving Yachiho to her lonesome.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Tenka's Vice-Chief stood up and walked off.
Ren Yamashiro sat in her office; her upper body leaned back with her arms crossed in front of her. Across the desk stood the current Chief of the First Unit. Riu Myouga stood to attention, her arms crossed behind her back.
"You're certain Frederica didn't return to the Einzberns?" Ren asked.
Riu shook her head. "I have questioned her niece, Illyasviel, as well as the main family. The main family in Germany have not spoken to her since she joined the Corps, and Illyasviel herself has not seen nor spoken to her since she last arrived in Japan."
"Vanishing to the public eye on Earth instead of Mato is strange but it's not unprecedented." Ren said, preparing for this to be another minor issue that she could handle within a blink of an eye, or the snap of her fingers.
"However…" Riu continued, "The young girl did say something rather concerning."
With an raised eyebrow, the Head-Commander motioned for the old woman to continue.
"Frederica allegedly has some ties with the Overmen."
All motion from Ren stopped, she repeated the sentence in her head again before she moved her chair forwards. With a sigh she laid her arms against the desk in front of her.
"That pseudo-terrorist group? Is that what this is about?"
"They–"
"I know that you think they're a problem but I can assure you, they're not." Ren Yamashiro spoke with such confidence that a slight chill slithered down Riu's spine. "What do you think a group of insecure men are going to do beyond a small riot or bank robbery? This kind of thing isn't up to us to deal with." We have far more important things to worry about– went unspoken.
Riu finally moved her hands, striding up towards the desk with a determined look. "I know that you don't bother with them because they're men, but if they somehow get Peach ability users behind their cause… and they most likely have if what 'The Boreal Witch' said is true…"
Ren tilted her head with a look of boredom. "The Boreal Witch only mentioned that she received supplies from a single person within the Overmen. Considering the type of person she is, I wouldn't be surprised if she had seduced a higher up within that group. There is nothing else outside of that connection."
Ren stood up and proceeded to walk around the desk. "The only type of women– especially Peach ability users– who would work with the Overmen are the sadistic types or those who are in it for their own personal gain."
"If a Peach ability user were to join them then they would fall under our domain, thus it will be left to us to deal with them." Riu countered. Even for a (seemingly) frail old woman like her, she wouldn't have normally dared to talk back to the head-commander like this, no one would.
But Frederica was a student, a disciple. Riu had personally worked with the younger woman for years. Not only that, but Einzbern's other niece is also in the Corps. What was she supposed to say to her? It certainly didn't help that that girl had a really bad hero complex.
Acknowledging this, Ren allowed for Riu to talk back, just this once.
"Then how about this," The Head-Commander came up with a compromise. "I have a meeting with the US President in a month. If you still haven't found her within that time, I will personally look for her."
Riu's eyes widened, and as she looked in the eyes of the Head-Commander she saw steel. This was the most that Ren wanted to do, the Head-Commander didn't care if Riu denied the offer, but she would not change it.
The older woman bowed her head. "Thank you."
"Of course." Ren smiled an obviously fake smile.
"Now then…" She closed her eyes, before opening them. Revealing letters in her iris'. She looked past the Chief of the 1st Unit towards the door, silhouettes becoming clear to her. "It seems I have a guest."
As soon as the words left her mouth, knocking echoed from the door.
"Let them in on your way out." She told Riu, who nodded and bowed before taking her leave. As the older woman opened the door, two people walked in.
Tenka Izumo walked into the room with a small smile, upon seeing her fellow chief she nodded. Riu nodded in return before her attention focused on the person behind Tenka. A young man who stood taller than both of them, with shoulder-length violet hair that covered the sides of his face. Then her eyes traveled to the item held in his hand, a long sheathed nodachi.
Her eyes narrowed at the familiar etchings on the sword handle on her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Now then," Ren spoke up. She proceeded to sit on the desk and cross her legs. She leaned forward, folding one arm and holding her chin up with the hand on her other arm. "I suppose you have something important you wish to speak with me, Tenka?"
Then her eyes moved to the metaphorical elephant in the room. Tsuda's eye twitched and he subconsciously stood up straighter. To him it felt like her eyes were piercing holes through his own.
"I hope you have something important you wish to speak with me, Tenka." Ren reiterated.
Tenka took a breath and closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes and stared directly into the eyes of the Head-Commander.
"This is Tsuda Ganryu." She motioned towards the young man beside her, "And I wish for permission to allow him to live in Mato."
Ren stared at Tenka, her gaze undiscerning. Her eyes traveled from the woman back to the man, back to the woman.
She sighed. "Were it anyone else I would have thrown them out the door immediately, but since it is you…"
She trailed off, proceeding to lean forward with her hands folded in front of her, and her legs crossed. She did not need to say anymore, Tenka understood. Ren trusted the woman in front of her, Tenka knew this.
Were it not for this trust, Tenka would not have made such a gamble.
The Chief of the 6th unit took another breath.
"I would like to keep him around as a housekeeper, someone who can manage all of the chores while our unit is out on the job."
Tsuda attempted to open his mouth, wanting to get a word in. That wasn't what he was told, he was going to say, but before he could Tenka lightly poked him on the arm, silencing him.
"He is fully capable of handling himself in this world filled with monsters, in fact he had been able to survive in Mato for a month, single handedly."
The last bit got Ren to raise an eyebrow, nonetheless she kept silent, simply observing the two in front of her and thinking about Tenka's words. Then it seemed that the words had fully sunk in a few seconds later.
"You're saying he survived out there," She tilted her head towards the window behind her, "alone. For a month?"
Outside of outright not believing that he survived alone, Ren had other questions. Did Tenka have the same questions, the same suspicions? If so then that would explain why she was adamant about keeping him here, but even then there are faster ways to get answers.
Especially if it's a man.
She inwardly shook off those thoughts, her previous conversation with Riu seemed to linger in her mind.
"You." She glared at the young man, who's mouth twitched upwards just a slight bit. His hand gripped onto his sheathed blade slightly tighter. As if noticing this, his mouth twitched again, and in a vain attempt to distract her he brought his other hand to his mouth and coughed.
"Yes… ma'am?" He seemed unsure of how to address her. Well, Ren surmised, at least he knew that he should be courteous to those obviously superior than him.
"Ma'am is good." She narrowed her eyes. "Now how about you tell me your story?"
He looked at her confused, so she reiterated. "Tell me how you got here, and what you were doing for the past month alone."
So, he told the same thing he told Tenka, in regard to what he was doing in Mato. Survived alone while fighting Shuuki every now and then, with nothing but a longsword and a backpack full of supplies.
At the mention of supplies, Ren cut him off.
"You were carrying items with you?" She asked. "What kind of items?"
He nodded, but he hesitated slightly before responding, "A backpack full of protein bars and water bottles."
He shouldn't have hesitated, as Ren caught onto that rather quickly.
"Then I would like you to be honest with me," Ren said candidly, wanting to confirm her suspicions, "Had you been planning on getting into Mato?"
Tenka's eyes slightly widened. She had initially assumed that he was just a simple victim of the Mato Disaster who had turned an unfortunate disaster into a fortunate training opportunity. She was also so focused on finding ways to keep him around but didn't even consider the obvious questions.
She turned her head towards him to see him looking at everything except the two of them.
Then he sighed.
"Yes." He answered. "For two weeks I traveled to random places hoping to run into a Mato Disaster."
Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds.
"Tenka…" Ren audibly groaned, rubbing her temples and breaking the silence. "You brought an asylum patient into my office."
Tsuda felt the need to defend himself. "Hey! I'm not–"
"Yes…" Tenka shook her head. "I apologize for that."
"You–"
He turned towards Tenka, not having expected her to agree with the Head-Commander. But he stopped when he saw her face. She looked at him with a smug grin.
Realizing that she was teasing him again, he decided to just give up, there wasn't much he could do to defend himself—
His eyes widened, if this were a cartoon they would have seen a lightbulb turn on above his head.
Clearing his throat, he turned back around to the woman sitting on the desk. "If you'll excuse me for my rude behavior."
She raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in behavior. Tenka herself raised an eyebrow at his actions– though the smile did not leave.
He knew that he was stepping on a tight rope with his next decision, he knew that it was insane to even suggest what he wanted to suggest, but his heart continued to beat faster. The woman in front of him was not simply just a wall–
She was the unreachable sky.
"You don't believe me, I understand that." He began his request, "But I think I can prove myself to you, if you'll allow me."
"Tsuda–" Tenka began, but this time it was Tsuda who silenced her. At first, she was confused at his behavior, but then she noticed something familiar. His wording changed, the way he presented himself changed.
In a way similar to when he had challenged Yachiho to a fight.
No, he wouldn't. Tenka wanted to believe.
"And why should I bother?" Ren asked, though the way she sat up slightly showed that he had her attention.
"Let me prove myself, and if I don't manage to impress you then Tenka will take me home and all of this will be forgotten. If I do impress you then I'll be allowed to stay here."
It was cocky, it was even a bit narcissistic, but the fact that he had even attempted to make a deal on his own terms with her impressed her just a slight bit– especially since he had no powers. She could appreciate some backbone.
Maybe that's why Tenka wanted him around? Just a toy to entertain her when she's bored? Ren could definitely understand that.
"And what do I gain from this?" She asked.
"Hopefully an hour of entertainment." He answered simply, causing Tenka to frown and Ren's lips to twitch upwards.
"Alright then." Ren stood up from her desk and folded her arms in front of her. "You've got me intrigued. How will you go about 'impressing me' then? Should we throw you into a pit of Shuuki and see you fend for yourself?"
If she was going to go along with this then she was going to have her own fun. "Or maybe you and Tenka are going to spar? Or maybe you're going to fight with someone else?"
"No, I think…"
He would.
Tenka took a step forward, knowing and fearing what he was going to say next. "Tsuda, don't–!"
Within a blink, the sound of metal scraping against leather echoed, and within a blink Tsuda held his large unsheathed nodachi…
Aiming it directly at the Head-Commander.
"We should fight."
He took a gamble, though he knew that he was taking a risk with this decision, he didn't actually know that he was risking his life here.
Were it in any other scenario, his body would be across the very building by now.
Were it in any other scenario, Ren Yamshiro would have taken the challenge as an insult. Why would she even bother with some powerless random? But as it is now, she was very intrigued. Plus even she would feel good after putting a "cocky man" in his place.
She eyed the sword aiming at her, then looked directly into the eyes of the young man who confronted her.
And then she smiled.
Right when she opened her mouth to make her decision, the door to the office slammed wide open.
"Wait!"
The old woman from earlier ran in, all eyes focused on her, but her eyes focused solely on Tsuda and the sword in his hand. Despite the annoyance in Ren's eyes, her interest focused on the old Riu Myouga, who was in a rare state.
With a concerned look, Riu asked Tsuda, "You– your name is Tsuda Ganryu?"
"...Yes?" The funk that Tsuda was in only a moment prior had nearly vanished, replaced with confusion.
"The name of the person who created that sword… Does she call herself Masamune?"
Upon hearing the name, recognition filled Tsuda's eyes, and he held down the sword– so that it was no longer facing Ren.
"You know Old Mune?"
"Old Mune… huh…" Nostalgia filled Riu's voice, and despite the tense air just a second prior, a bark of laughter echoed from the old woman.
"Nice to see that she hadn't let go of that name."
Riu shook her head, now wasn't the time for nostalgia, now was the time for concern. The adopted son of her best friend was standing right in front of her, in a place where he definitely should not be, doing something that can get him killed.
"Now then…"
She stomped up to him, and reached up to roughly grab onto his cheeks, pulling at them as if she were trying to rip them off.
"Ow– hey!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
He was five and six respectively when he had those dreams. Ever since then the man—who Tsuda assumes to be Sasaki Kojiro— and the dreams have never appeared again…
Until now.
This time the landscape was different, instead of the familiar scene of the forest by the river ,there was only grass. Grass that spanned to every horizon. This time, the man in Tsuda's dream swung his sword at another person. The clashing of steel echoed. Kojiro swung his nodachi with the intent to kill, his eyes focused only on the opponent in front of him.
Tsuda couldn't get a good look at who the man was fighting, but it didn't truly matter either way. Kojiro's victory was set from the very beginning. The man screamed as he swung at the legendary swordsman.
Kojiro merely stepped to the side.
"It's over."
He did not take a stance, he didn't need to, he merely held his sword straight.
Two slashes, two swings, two attacks, instantaneously.
Within the blink of an eye, Kojiro's opponent fell to the ground– much like the swallow that Tsuda saw in his first dream.
Two slashes marked an "X" on the fallen warrior's body.
There it was again. The very technique that had mesmerized the younger man. Tsuda couldn't help but hold out his hand. He wanted to achieve that. He wanted to be just like that.
He wanted to–
He took a step forward–a single step forward–and the dream shifted.
He found himself directly in front of the legendary swordsman, who's hair covered his eyes. From Tsuda's angle Kojiro's hair casted a shadow over his eyes. The younger man didn't know how he got in this position but considering it's only a dream he didn't question it.
Could he…?
"Kojiro–" Tsuda called out to the man, taking another step forward and preparing to hold out his hand. Could he finally interact with him? There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to know, and even if this is a dream, he wanted to at least try something.
But the legendary swordsman did not let the young man finish, he gripped onto his nodachi tighter and swung.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from the right.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from above.
Sasaki Kojiro swung from the left.
The taste of blood filled the young man's mouth. His eyes widened as pain filled his chest. He looked down, three slashes marked his own chest. To most all they would perceive is their deaths, and only those on Kojiro's level and above could comprehend this attack.
But to Tsuda he saw exactly what happened, as if it played out in frames. Each swing curved at an angle, blocking off any form of escape and rendering any sort of shield as useless.
He fell backwards. A pool of blood flowing underneath him. His vision faded to black with a single whisper leaving Kojiro's mouth.
"Tsubame Gaeshi."
Tsuda awoke with a gasp. He grasped at his chest with heavy breaths, feeling no form of damage aside from the scars of past challenges. Why did he see this dream now?
After all this time, after days, after months, after years, after more than a decade he finally has a dream relating to Kojiro again.
He doesn't understand it. Was there a purpose to this dream? Was he missing something? He felt as though he had to be.
Whatever it was he wouldn't find any answer. But for now, answers aren't what he focused on, no, what he focused on most was–
That technique, it's improved since he last saw it in a dream a decade ago. Two swings turned into three.
He steadied his beating heart, taking in deep breaths. He knows more than anyone that what he wishes to achieve is impossible.
But still—
He looked towards his own nodachi that laid against the wall on the other side of the room, sheathed in black leather.
"Sorry Musashi," He apologized to the woman who he hasn't seen in years but still left a lasting effect on him. She warned him of obsessions and passions, and looking back at it it was easy to see why. Some part of him wishes he actually listened to her, actually took her words to heart.
But he's already too far down this path to choose another one, and he couldn't even imagine any other path. He got up from his bed and stretched, walking towards his sheathed blade and picking it up.
"But this is all I am."
"Oh, are you up?" A moment later the door opened, revealing Tenka. In one arm she held a pile of clothes. "Did you sleep well?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't bad."
Tenka looked towards the mattress on the floor, a slight cringe on her face. "I apologize for this, if you give us some time we can–"
He waved off her concern. "Don't worry about it, I've slept in worse."
"Alright." She held it off for now, keeping a note to help make the room more presentable sometime later. "Anyways, I gathered some clothes for you," She thrusted the clothes in her arm towards him, startling him slightly. "I used the sizes from the clothing that you arrived with, but if there's one too big or tight then just let me know."
He looked at the clothes with a look of surprise. "T-thank you." He said with a tilted smile, unsure of how to completely show his gratitude.
The smile on her face was not something he was accustomed to. "Of course."
He grabbed a random pair of shorts and a shirt from the handful, and proceeded to unbutton the outfit that he had been wearing.
A hum gained his attention, he looked back up to see Tenka standing at the door, having not moved from the spot.
"Do… Do you mind?" He asked. Despite the debacle in the hot spring yesterday, even he would feel embarrassed if he stripped down in front of a woman.
"No." She shook her head, her gaze focused solely on him. "Oh! Oh, right. My bad." Then, as if remembering exactly where she was, she quickly shook her head and turned around.
Opening the door she turned her head, "Oh, and one last thing. We're going to see the Head-Commander to talk about your predicament in an hour."
She closed the door right afterwards
"What?"
She definitely played it safe with his clothes, as they were just single colors. White shirt and dark blue jeans. It wasn't anything special but it was more than enough for Tsuda.
He held his sheathed nodachi in his left hand. Anticipation filled his heart, even though he knew he shouldn't be expecting much. If he were to be looking at it realistically, he should have been sent home right after he was cleaned up. Looking at it realistically the Head-Commander wouldn't even bother with him.
But at the moment he wasn't thinking realistically.
"Your tail's wagging." Then a condescending voice had to break him out of his stupor. His stance visibly hunched forward for a second before he stood straight up.
"Are we still doing that? I thought that was over with." He turned slightly towards the Vice-Chief.
Yachiho walked up to him with a scowl, she had already been in her uniform, having woken up hours prior.
"I'll stop when I want to, besides," She gave him a look over, her eyes focusing on his messy hair, "If that's how you look in the morning then you aren't helping yourself."
He finally noticed that half of his face had been covered by his hair, somehow. He gently tugged at a few strands of hair before sighing. "I'll deal with that later."
"You're definitely not going to visit the first Unit looking like that."
"Of course not." He bristled, "I just said I'll deal with it later."
For reasons unbeknownst to him she kept pestering him, poking at him again and again until they reached the living room.
Evidently their argument spiraled from 'you should brush your hair right now' to 'do you even do anything?'
Tenka sat on the couch, leaning against the side with a cup of water in her hand, stuck in her own little world within her thoughts, which was broken by yelling coming from the hallway.
She tilted her head to see Yachiho and Tsuda walking in, the two in a heated argument.
"You don't know how to cook?" Yachiho asked a simple question, one that caused Tsuda's mouth to clamp shut in response. "Really? In this economy?"
"I know enough."
"Let me guess, all you know is how to boil rice."
He did not respond.
Yachiho shook her head, walking towards the couch right next to Tenka. "You're hopeless."
Tenka shook her head with an amused smile. She looked towards Tsuda, who opted to slouch against the couch across from her, noticing his messy hair. She stood up and walked over towards him.
He looked up at her when her shadow towered over him, with a curious gaze he wanted to question her, but before he could a portal opened behind her.
"Excuse me." She turned around and walked into the portal, coming back out a second later with a brush in her hand.
"Wha–" He made to stand up, but he was once again cut off when she gently placed a hand through his hair.
"Let me just…" She spoke calmly. Calmly brushing his hair with both the hairbrush and her hand.
Tsuda sat still, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Even Musashi's teasing didn't go this far. He wasn't shy of women, but what else was he supposed to think in this situation, what else was he supposed to do?
"Ack– Hey!" The brush caught a knot in his hair, causing him to shift his head slightly.
"Sorry about that." Tenka responded softly. "Your hair is surprisingly soft…"
Once again he didn't know what to do, so he did nothing. He just allowed her to do what she wanted, despite the embarrassment coursing through him. He tried his hardest to hide the fact that his face was slightly heating up.
His blush only deepened when he heard a snort. He looked to see Yachiho holding her hand to her mouth. She chuckled when their eyes met.
"Tch!"
Even if "appearing masculine" wasn't something that Tsuda worried himself with, even he had some pride!
Even he would find it problematic if he was treated like a random mutt.
Just bear with it for now. He told himself, all of this humiliation would be worth it, or so he told himself. Yet despite the "humiliation", he couldn't find it in himself to hate it. Subconsciously he ended up tilting his head towards Tenka.
A minute passed, Tenka clapped her hands once. "Done!"
She took steps back to admire her handiwork.
Yachiho took a breath, gathering herself. She looked over to Tenka with a smug smile and raised eyebrow. "You're enjoying yourself too much."
"Hm? Is it that obvious?"
"It is." Tsuda answered as even he could tell. Despite looking away to hide his reddening face, he thanked her anyway. "Thank you…." He mumbled.
"Of course."
She walked back to the couch and placed the brush on the table next to it.
"Now then," She checked the time, "We have thirty minutes, I suppose that's good enough."
"I'm sure the Head-Commander won't mind if we're a bit early." A portal opened in the middle of the living room, Tenka walked up towards it and held out her hand to the young man.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
He grasped her hand in turn. With eyes full of conviction he nodded. "More than ready."
"We'll be back." Tenka waved towards her Vice-Chief, and the two stepped into the portal. It closed a moment after, leaving Yachiho to her lonesome.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Tenka's Vice-Chief stood up and walked off.
Ren Yamashiro sat in her office; her upper body leaned back with her arms crossed in front of her. Across the desk stood the current Chief of the First Unit. Riu Myouga stood to attention, her arms crossed behind her back.
"You're certain Frederica didn't return to the Einzberns?" Ren asked.
Riu shook her head. "I have questioned her niece, Illyasviel, as well as the main family. The main family in Germany have not spoken to her since she joined the Corps, and Illyasviel herself has not seen nor spoken to her since she last arrived in Japan."
"Vanishing to the public eye on Earth instead of Mato is strange but it's not unprecedented." Ren said, preparing for this to be another minor issue that she could handle within a blink of an eye, or the snap of her fingers.
"However…" Riu continued, "The young girl did say something rather concerning."
With an raised eyebrow, the Head-Commander motioned for the old woman to continue.
"Frederica allegedly has some ties with the Overmen."
All motion from Ren stopped, she repeated the sentence in her head again before she moved her chair forwards. With a sigh she laid her arms against the desk in front of her.
"That pseudo-terrorist group? Is that what this is about?"
"They–"
"I know that you think they're a problem but I can assure you, they're not." Ren Yamashiro spoke with such confidence that a slight chill slithered down Riu's spine. "What do you think a group of insecure men are going to do beyond a small riot or bank robbery? This kind of thing isn't up to us to deal with." We have far more important things to worry about– went unspoken.
Riu finally moved her hands, striding up towards the desk with a determined look. "I know that you don't bother with them because they're men, but if they somehow get Peach ability users behind their cause… and they most likely have if what 'The Boreal Witch' said is true…"
Ren tilted her head with a look of boredom. "The Boreal Witch only mentioned that she received supplies from a single person within the Overmen. Considering the type of person she is, I wouldn't be surprised if she had seduced a higher up within that group. There is nothing else outside of that connection."
Ren stood up and proceeded to walk around the desk. "The only type of women– especially Peach ability users– who would work with the Overmen are the sadistic types or those who are in it for their own personal gain."
"If a Peach ability user were to join them then they would fall under our domain, thus it will be left to us to deal with them." Riu countered. Even for a (seemingly) frail old woman like her, she wouldn't have normally dared to talk back to the head-commander like this, no one would.
But Frederica was a student, a disciple. Riu had personally worked with the younger woman for years. Not only that, but Einzbern's other niece is also in the Corps. What was she supposed to say to her? It certainly didn't help that that girl had a really bad hero complex.
Acknowledging this, Ren allowed for Riu to talk back, just this once.
"Then how about this," The Head-Commander came up with a compromise. "I have a meeting with the US President in a month. If you still haven't found her within that time, I will personally look for her."
Riu's eyes widened, and as she looked in the eyes of the Head-Commander she saw steel. This was the most that Ren wanted to do, the Head-Commander didn't care if Riu denied the offer, but she would not change it.
The older woman bowed her head. "Thank you."
"Of course." Ren smiled an obviously fake smile.
"Now then…" She closed her eyes, before opening them. Revealing letters in her iris'. She looked past the Chief of the 1st Unit towards the door, silhouettes becoming clear to her. "It seems I have a guest."
As soon as the words left her mouth, knocking echoed from the door.
"Let them in on your way out." She told Riu, who nodded and bowed before taking her leave. As the older woman opened the door, two people walked in.
Tenka Izumo walked into the room with a small smile, upon seeing her fellow chief she nodded. Riu nodded in return before her attention focused on the person behind Tenka. A young man who stood taller than both of them, with shoulder-length violet hair that covered the sides of his face. Then her eyes traveled to the item held in his hand, a long sheathed nodachi.
Her eyes narrowed at the familiar etchings on the sword handle on her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"Now then," Ren spoke up. She proceeded to sit on the desk and cross her legs. She leaned forward, folding one arm and holding her chin up with the hand on her other arm. "I suppose you have something important you wish to speak with me, Tenka?"
Then her eyes moved to the metaphorical elephant in the room. Tsuda's eye twitched and he subconsciously stood up straighter. To him it felt like her eyes were piercing holes through his own.
"I hope you have something important you wish to speak with me, Tenka." Ren reiterated.
Tenka took a breath and closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes and stared directly into the eyes of the Head-Commander.
"This is Tsuda Ganryu." She motioned towards the young man beside her, "And I wish for permission to allow him to live in Mato."
Ren stared at Tenka, her gaze undiscerning. Her eyes traveled from the woman back to the man, back to the woman.
She sighed. "Were it anyone else I would have thrown them out the door immediately, but since it is you…"
She trailed off, proceeding to lean forward with her hands folded in front of her, and her legs crossed. She did not need to say anymore, Tenka understood. Ren trusted the woman in front of her, Tenka knew this.
Were it not for this trust, Tenka would not have made such a gamble.
The Chief of the 6th unit took another breath.
"I would like to keep him around as a housekeeper, someone who can manage all of the chores while our unit is out on the job."
Tsuda attempted to open his mouth, wanting to get a word in. That wasn't what he was told, he was going to say, but before he could Tenka lightly poked him on the arm, silencing him.
"He is fully capable of handling himself in this world filled with monsters, in fact he had been able to survive in Mato for a month, single handedly."
The last bit got Ren to raise an eyebrow, nonetheless she kept silent, simply observing the two in front of her and thinking about Tenka's words. Then it seemed that the words had fully sunk in a few seconds later.
"You're saying he survived out there," She tilted her head towards the window behind her, "alone. For a month?"
Outside of outright not believing that he survived alone, Ren had other questions. Did Tenka have the same questions, the same suspicions? If so then that would explain why she was adamant about keeping him here, but even then there are faster ways to get answers.
Especially if it's a man.
She inwardly shook off those thoughts, her previous conversation with Riu seemed to linger in her mind.
"You." She glared at the young man, who's mouth twitched upwards just a slight bit. His hand gripped onto his sheathed blade slightly tighter. As if noticing this, his mouth twitched again, and in a vain attempt to distract her he brought his other hand to his mouth and coughed.
"Yes… ma'am?" He seemed unsure of how to address her. Well, Ren surmised, at least he knew that he should be courteous to those obviously superior than him.
"Ma'am is good." She narrowed her eyes. "Now how about you tell me your story?"
He looked at her confused, so she reiterated. "Tell me how you got here, and what you were doing for the past month alone."
So, he told the same thing he told Tenka, in regard to what he was doing in Mato. Survived alone while fighting Shuuki every now and then, with nothing but a longsword and a backpack full of supplies.
At the mention of supplies, Ren cut him off.
"You were carrying items with you?" She asked. "What kind of items?"
He nodded, but he hesitated slightly before responding, "A backpack full of protein bars and water bottles."
He shouldn't have hesitated, as Ren caught onto that rather quickly.
"Then I would like you to be honest with me," Ren said candidly, wanting to confirm her suspicions, "Had you been planning on getting into Mato?"
Tenka's eyes slightly widened. She had initially assumed that he was just a simple victim of the Mato Disaster who had turned an unfortunate disaster into a fortunate training opportunity. She was also so focused on finding ways to keep him around but didn't even consider the obvious questions.
She turned her head towards him to see him looking at everything except the two of them.
Then he sighed.
"Yes." He answered. "For two weeks I traveled to random places hoping to run into a Mato Disaster."
Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds.
"Tenka…" Ren audibly groaned, rubbing her temples and breaking the silence. "You brought an asylum patient into my office."
Tsuda felt the need to defend himself. "Hey! I'm not–"
"Yes…" Tenka shook her head. "I apologize for that."
"You–"
He turned towards Tenka, not having expected her to agree with the Head-Commander. But he stopped when he saw her face. She looked at him with a smug grin.
Realizing that she was teasing him again, he decided to just give up, there wasn't much he could do to defend himself—
His eyes widened, if this were a cartoon they would have seen a lightbulb turn on above his head.
Clearing his throat, he turned back around to the woman sitting on the desk. "If you'll excuse me for my rude behavior."
She raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in behavior. Tenka herself raised an eyebrow at his actions– though the smile did not leave.
He knew that he was stepping on a tight rope with his next decision, he knew that it was insane to even suggest what he wanted to suggest, but his heart continued to beat faster. The woman in front of him was not simply just a wall–
She was the unreachable sky.
"You don't believe me, I understand that." He began his request, "But I think I can prove myself to you, if you'll allow me."
"Tsuda–" Tenka began, but this time it was Tsuda who silenced her. At first, she was confused at his behavior, but then she noticed something familiar. His wording changed, the way he presented himself changed.
In a way similar to when he had challenged Yachiho to a fight.
No, he wouldn't. Tenka wanted to believe.
"And why should I bother?" Ren asked, though the way she sat up slightly showed that he had her attention.
"Let me prove myself, and if I don't manage to impress you then Tenka will take me home and all of this will be forgotten. If I do impress you then I'll be allowed to stay here."
It was cocky, it was even a bit narcissistic, but the fact that he had even attempted to make a deal on his own terms with her impressed her just a slight bit– especially since he had no powers. She could appreciate some backbone.
Maybe that's why Tenka wanted him around? Just a toy to entertain her when she's bored? Ren could definitely understand that.
"And what do I gain from this?" She asked.
"Hopefully an hour of entertainment." He answered simply, causing Tenka to frown and Ren's lips to twitch upwards.
"Alright then." Ren stood up from her desk and folded her arms in front of her. "You've got me intrigued. How will you go about 'impressing me' then? Should we throw you into a pit of Shuuki and see you fend for yourself?"
If she was going to go along with this then she was going to have her own fun. "Or maybe you and Tenka are going to spar? Or maybe you're going to fight with someone else?"
"No, I think…"
He would.
Tenka took a step forward, knowing and fearing what he was going to say next. "Tsuda, don't–!"
Within a blink, the sound of metal scraping against leather echoed, and within a blink Tsuda held his large unsheathed nodachi…
Aiming it directly at the Head-Commander.
"We should fight."
He took a gamble, though he knew that he was taking a risk with this decision, he didn't actually know that he was risking his life here.
Were it in any other scenario, his body would be across the very building by now.
Were it in any other scenario, Ren Yamshiro would have taken the challenge as an insult. Why would she even bother with some powerless random? But as it is now, she was very intrigued. Plus even she would feel good after putting a "cocky man" in his place.
She eyed the sword aiming at her, then looked directly into the eyes of the young man who confronted her.
And then she smiled.
Right when she opened her mouth to make her decision, the door to the office slammed wide open.
"Wait!"
The old woman from earlier ran in, all eyes focused on her, but her eyes focused solely on Tsuda and the sword in his hand. Despite the annoyance in Ren's eyes, her interest focused on the old Riu Myouga, who was in a rare state.
With a concerned look, Riu asked Tsuda, "You– your name is Tsuda Ganryu?"
"...Yes?" The funk that Tsuda was in only a moment prior had nearly vanished, replaced with confusion.
"The name of the person who created that sword… Does she call herself Masamune?"
Upon hearing the name, recognition filled Tsuda's eyes, and he held down the sword– so that it was no longer facing Ren.
"You know Old Mune?"
"Old Mune… huh…" Nostalgia filled Riu's voice, and despite the tense air just a second prior, a bark of laughter echoed from the old woman.
"Nice to see that she hadn't let go of that name."
Riu shook her head, now wasn't the time for nostalgia, now was the time for concern. The adopted son of her best friend was standing right in front of her, in a place where he definitely should not be, doing something that can get him killed.
"Now then…"
She stomped up to him, and reached up to roughly grab onto his cheeks, pulling at them as if she were trying to rip them off.
"Ow– hey!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
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Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
- Messages
- 19
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- 196
And that's all caught up for now. For now all I'll say that I know there's a lot of shit but I promise that it will all make sense eventually (hopefully). To those who are willing to go along with my brainrot, you have my deepest thanks.
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Godfire
Not too sore, are you?
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- Jul 8, 2023
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- 486
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- 3,121
I do not like this. Nope, not one bit. The emasculation aside( I'm not big on 'Manly' things but this is..)
Regardless, I shall watch this for now. Only because the story is that good. The quality is *chef's kiss*. Hope you update soon
Regardless, I shall watch this for now. Only because the story is that good. The quality is *chef's kiss*. Hope you update soon
Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
- Messages
- 19
- Likes received
- 196
Thank you for the kind words! And uh... yeah ik how it may seem that way, but I promise you that I'm not trying to downplay nor overexaggerate elements of masculinity or femininity-- that's not what I want to focus on with this story-- and while Mato Seihei no Slave/Chained Soldier almost promotes that in a way (it's not really taken seriously because the canon story is ecchi and action first), I will admit that I'm kinda doing too much. However, I promise that those kinds of things are only byproduct of what I'm actually hoping to accomplish and will never be the "main point".
...but I'll also admit that a lot of what I have planned doesn't really have too much depth behind their conception outside of "I thought this would be cool lol"... and what I'm "hoping to accomplish" can honestly boil down to "make a cool story", but! I promise you that it won't be much of a problem in the future. Once again thank you for the comment and thank you for going along with my BS.
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Chapter 5
New
Dagaz
Getting out there.
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2024
- Messages
- 19
- Likes received
- 196
(A/N) For the sake of clarity I will say that Mystery (magecraft, magic, servants, etc) does not exist within this world, everything supernatural will be related to/explained by Mato and the Peaches… with potentially one small exception (still on the fence with that one).
Anyways, thank you for all the kind words and enjoy!
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Riu Myouga grabbed at Tsuda's face and pulled his cheeks hard– hard enough for him to feel as though she was trying to rip apart his face. The young man accidentally dropped his sword when he tried to grasp at her arms and push them off of him.
She continued to pinch at his face for a minute before finally letting go. She took a step back and crossed her arms, glaring at the young man. Tsuda rubbed at his face with a cringed look.
"You need to leave, or else she's going to freak out." The old Chief scolded.
"She knows what I'm doing," Tsuda defended, "she wouldn't have made this sword otherwise."
While Riu was chastising the young man, Tenka had grabbed his sword and placed it back within its sheath. "Do you two know each other?" She asked, handing the weapon back to Tsuda– who responded with a murmured 'thank you'.
Riu shook her head. "No, but Masamune and I still keep in contact, and for the longest time she wouldn't stop talking about this child that she found in a demolished town."
"Masamune…" Ren tested the name, taking a second to remember where she heard the name. "That's the nickname of your old Vice-Chief, is it not?"
Riu nodded, "One of the best bladesmiths out there, her swords were the best against the Shuuki."
"Mune didn't mention any friends…" Tsuda racked his brain, attempting to remember any mention of Riu. He couldn't think of anything; however, the closest that could fit the old woman's description was when Masamune talked about– "Oh, right!" He snapped his fingers.
"You were the old ha…..old woman," He attempted to correct himself, a bead of sweat trailing down as the old Chief glared holes into him. "That Old Mune talked about a few times."
Riu's glare softened as she asked, "I'm guessing she referred to her friend as 'Old Hag'?"
"Ah… well…" How ironic that the boy who had challenged the Head-Commander just minutes prior found himself sweating at the current situation. As his adopted mother used to say, 'hell hath no fury like an old woman's scorn', or something like that. Thinking about it now, Tsuda thought that Old Mune really just wanted an excuse for her bad temper.
The tension surrounding Riu Myouga dissipated, however, as a chuckle left her lips. "That rotten woman, we're the exact same age."
In an attempt to change the subject, Riu took the insult well but Tsuda knows that he's definitely not going to step on a landmine like that again, he brought up something else that the old bladesmith used to mention.
"Ah, she also talked a bit about her favorite customer, the husband of her… uh… old friend."
A bright and nostalgic smile graced Riu's face. Her eyes seemed to look beyond the confines of the room, far into a past life.
"Hah, that's right, every sword she made for us was an experimental one." She laughed, memories rushing to her mind. "She liked to use us as guinea pigs for her new ideas, a lot of them didn't really work out so well.
A few seconds passed before her eyes refocused back to the scene in front of her, she looked towards the sheathed blade held within the young man's hand. Then she looked back into his eyes.
"She knows what you've planned to do with this sword?"
Though not expecting the question, Tsuda hesitated before nodding. Riu picked up on this and asked. "What's with that hesitation boy?"
"She uh…" He faltered, were this a cartoon one could have heard him audibly gulp. "She knows that I want to train by fighting Shuuki but she doesn't… she doesn't know that I sneaked into Mato to do so."
Silence reigned in the room for a full three minutes. All three women within the room just stared at the young man, who only now realizes how crazy he most likely sounds.
"And how did you accomplish that?" The Chief of the First Unit asked.
Tsuda's eyes suddenly found great interest in the ceiling above them, "I lied to her about knowing someone in the Corps who could give me a safe passage."
Despite the confession, Riu found herself chuckling. "She's going to give you hell when you see her again."
The young man visibly deflated. "I know."
"Well?"
Tsuda looked up, "Well what?"
"Was it worth it?" Riu clarified. "Sneaking in. Did you get what you were looking for? Were you looking for anything to begin with?"
Tsuda took in the question and stood still in silence for a full minute, thinking about the answer. He wasn't particularly looking for anything outside of just getting better at the sword. Even getting better at the sword isn't his 'main' goal, no, his main goal is achieving that technique, which he doesn't know if it's possible or not.
Then he remembered the events that occurred before Riu Myouga interrupted. He side-eyed the Head-Commander, who had sat back down and made herself comfortable on the chair behind the desk.
"Not yet." He finally answered. His grip on his sheathed blade tightened and he stared into Riu's eyes.
"I still haven't fought someone yet."
"Hm." The old lady hummed. She crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and tilted her head. A decision popped up in her head but she's hesitant about following through.
"Then…" Finally, after a minute, she unfolded her arms and gave Tsuda a choice, "Would you like to prove yourself?"
Tsuda's hand twitched, he took a step forward with hope in his voice, "Can I?"
Riu looked towards the Head-Commander, while Tsuda looked towards Tenka.
Ren stood up, and they both nodded.
With a nod of her own, Riu looked towards the young man before motioning towards the door, "Let's go then."
Tsuda quickly followed after, too quickly in fact. Ren looked towards Tenka with a raised eyebrow. "You brought in someone quite interesting."
A smug smile graced Tenka's face in response. "I know."
Ren, Tenka, and Tsuda followed Riu into the backyard. Along the way they passed a young girl, with short wavy hair, who greeted them. "Ginna." Ren motioned for the young girl to follow, and despite the papers in her hands she obeyed nonetheless. Tsuda took notice of the way she sideeyed him, and the disgusted glare on her face as she did.
One of those, he thought, though he found that it didn't really bother him. Solely because he didn't care, he had something far more important to be focusing on.
Outside of the base of the 10th Unit, the dark bluish and black stone covered the area towards the horizon. In the distance tall mountains stood over the view like pairs of guardians.
While Tsuda had been taking in the view of both Mato and the Head-Commander's base, the new girl, Ginna, had been drawing a large circle around the yard.
"You." She walked up to him, and he noticed the way she cringed as he turned towards her. "Write your name here." She handed him a plank and a brush. He did so and handed it back towards her.
He tried his best not to sigh as she quickly grabbed the plank from his hand, and reacted as if she was forced to pick up dog feces. He knew there was going to be some people like this. Seeing it first hand would have been comedic, were he not on the receiving end.
She quickly dug a hole and grabbed a stack of planks nearby. Tsuda noticed that the names of the Chiefs were also on the other planks.
With a clap of her hands a large and bright barrier surrounded the yard, Tsuda looked on with both astonishment and confusement.
Tenka walked up to him, having noticed his confusion.
"This is Ginna's ability. Only those who have their signatures written somewhere within the barrier are allowed in, and also…" She held out her hand. "Can I see your sword real quick?"
Tsuda raised a curious eyebrow but he obliged nonetheless. Handing the sheathed nodachi over to Tenka. She gently unsheathed a bit of the blade and ran her finger over it, cutting herself.
"What–" Tsuda attempted to ask, but he was stopped as she held out her cut finger towards him. He watched as the small cut healed itself at an unnatural speed. She wiped off the blood that had escaped and showed him her finger again. It looked as though nothing had happened to it.
"Those that are allowed within her barrier also can heal any damage done within the barrier."
"Woah…" Tsuda said in awe. He felt a poke in his shoulder, and looked down to see Tenka returning the sword back to him. He gently grabbed it back.
"Is there a limit to the damage that can be healed?"
Tenka took a second, placing a finger (the same one that she had cut to demonstrate the ability) under her chin. After a few seconds she shook her head.
"According to her, even if you were beheaded, so long as you were and are in the barrier, you will be healed."
Tsuda whistled, looking up at the barrier that surrounded them.
"Of course," Tenka continued, "No one has been beheaded while in a barrier, but I have seen people lose an arm and leg that were healed because they lost them while in the barrier."
Then she faced her entire body towards him and crossed her arms. "And just so you don't get any ideas, just because a lost limb can be returned doesn't mean you should go trying it."
"I wasn't thinking that, I'm not a masochist or suicidal." He said with a tilted smile. He definitely wasn't thinking about testing the limits of the barrier's healing ability…
Well, he wasn't intentionally thinking about it.
"Recent developments have made me think otherwise." Tenka teased.
"Are you ready?" From across the area– within the barrier– Riu Myouga called out to Tsuda.
The young man looked towards Tenka, who nodded. "Good luck." She walked away with a smile and a wave, moving to stand right next to the Head Commander and Ginna.
"Um… Commander?" Ginna, who had been brought here with no prior warning, leaned over to her Chief and whispered.
"Hm?" Ren hummed in acknowledgement, giving permission for the younger girl to continue.
"What's…" She looked towards the Chief of the First Unit, then towards the random young man across from her. "...all this about?"
Ren tilted her head towards the Chief of the Sixth Unit, "Tenka here brought us something interesting, so out of kindness for her decision, I allowed for the boy she brought to prove himself."
"Him?" She pointed towards the young man with a cringe. "What's so special about him?"
"Now that," The Head-Commander sideyed Tenka with a sharp smile. "I hope to see too."
With a hand on his chest Tsuda took in a deep breath, attempting to calm his rapidly beating heart. It wasn't because of anxiousness, rather the opposite. He was too excited to think as clearly as he wanted to. After a few breaths he released a final exhale. With a sharpened look he quickly unsheathed his nodachi and took two practice swings.
"I'm ready." He said, loud enough for Miu to hear from the other side.
With a nod, the Chief of the First Unit took a breath, then she placed her hands together in front of her and with her elbows pointing outwards.
"White Mausoleum."
From within her palms a bright white light proceeded to glow. As clearly outlined by the name of her ability, a white japanese-styled mausoleum appeared from next to her. Its large doors proceeded to open, allowing for a shadowy figure to emerge. As it fully exited the doors, the figure came into full view. An old man– one who seemed to be around the same age as Myouga– with spiky gray hair, donned in a traditional white kimono. A sheathed katana held within his hands.
Throughout the entire display, Tsuda's eyes had gone through a myriad of emotions, from confusion, to intrigue, to excitement, to an attempt at serenity.
"The man you see before you is my late husband, Toshihiko Myouga." Riu Myouga began to explain. "In this state, his physical capabilities have been increased to superhuman levels."
One word stuck out to the young man. "Late?" He called out.
With a nostalgic smile, Riu nodded. "My husband has been dead for some time now."
"Ah…" Not knowing how to respond, Tsuda defaulted to what he assumed would be just common courtesy, bowing his head lightly and apologizing.
"Don't apologize boy, besides," She motioned towards the old man, who proceeded to unsheath his own katana. "Does he look dead to you right now?"
Tsuda stood upwards, giving a curious glance over the old man. Obviously, he didn't look dead at the present moment, but that would mean…
"Is your ability–"
"He's not undead, if that's what you're thinking." Riu shot down his question right away, causing Tsuda to deflate slightly. "However, I wouldn't necessarily say that's too far off."
By this point, the large mausoleum had already vanished, leaving only the old man present on the field.
"For the sake of this 'spar', think of the body you see before you as an automated puppet, designed solely for battle." That is essentially Riu's Myouga's ability. The dead "summoned" by her become puppets whose sole purpose is to fight. Normally Riu herself would be fighting alongside them, as one of the benefits of this ability is the boost in power from both the summoned and the summoner. This time, however, Riu stood to the sidelines, wanting to measure the boy's capabilities from the side.
The feeling of excitement came back in full force, and at this point Tsuda just decided to try and ignore it. Riu's next words caused an unnaturally sharp smile to spread across his face.
"So if you want to truly prove yourself, do not hold back!" The Chief of the First Unit roared. "Fight as if your life's on the line!"
She held her hand up.
"Three!"
Tsuda subconsciously licked his lips and moved into a stance. One that he's copied from his idol. He tilted forward before kneeling with both hips. Moving his sword forward before moving it back so that the hilt was right next to his face, tilting it so that the sharp part aimed upwards.
"Two!"
The old man stood still, not having moved an inch since he unsheathed his blade.
"One!"
Riu swung her arm downwards, mimicking a chop. "Fight!"
The very moment the word 'fight' left her mouth, the deceased warrior took a step forward, before seemingly blinking out of view.
Tsuda felt a breeze pick up near his face. There! As quickly as he could, Tsuda flipped the sword within his hand, its sharp end now facing downwards. Within a blink he moved his arms back so that the hilt was just behind his face– still to the side of it– and then he swung forward and downwards.
Right as he swung the old man appeared in front of him, swinging his own katana upwards. The two meet in the middle with a loud clang. A sharp breeze emanated from the clash.
Tsuda didn't want to use that technique so early, but this moment felt like the perfect chance. Not wanting to give the old man time to act, Tsuda quickly tilted his blade and swung upwards. Obviously, the old man dodged, the blade barely trimming his beard.
Tsuda knew that this was the outcome, he used the force from swinging the blade upwards to quickly swing it back down. The old man's eyes widened, not expecting the speed at which the blade traveled.
He quickly tried to step back, but the blade hit its target. Tearing the front of his kimono and leaving a hand sized cut on his chest, although it was a shallow cut, barely any blood poured out.
All of this happened within a blink of an eye.
Tsuda clicked his tongue, had he used the technique the correct way– swinging downwards from above before quickly swinging back up– at that distance, then he would have definitely gotten the kill.
That thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but he quickly shook that feeling off. The man in front of him was technically already dead, so it wasn't technically "killing".
Tsuda didn't have much time to think as despite the injury the old man was quickly on the offensive. It seemed the technique, despite being sloppy according to Tsuda, was enough to impress the old man, as the old warrior appeared in front of the young man and swung downwards.
Tsuda quickly held up his nodachi, blocking the swing, but the old man kept pushing. After a second of struggle between the two, the old man quickly brought his hand up once again before swinging downwards again, this time the force caused Tsuda's defense to drop, while the nodachi still remained in Tsuda's hand, it had been pushed down, beneath his chest. Luckily Tsuda was able to keep his torso a safe distance from the katana–
Tsuda's eyes widened as the old man tilted his katana, and quickly swung it upwards. At the right moment, Tsuda quickly stepped back and leaned back. The katana missed both his head and torso.
Tsuda took another step back to regain his posture, straightening himself up. The old man swung again, this time from the right side. Tsuda quickly retaliated by swinging from the left. Once again the two blades met in the middle with a loud clang. The sheer force of each swing caused the blades to bounce off on another. The old man quickly gathered himself and swung again, still from the left but this time from below. Tsuda quickly gathered his own blade and swung from the opposing direction, still from the right but from above.
Another clang echoed, and once again their blades bounced off each other. They swung again from opposing directions, this time the blades slid off each other, which allowed the old man to switch his swinging arm, moving his sword from right to left, Tsuda retaliated once again.
The clanging of swords reverbed across the ground as the speed of both swordsmen picked up. To Tsuda, the clanging of these two blades was deafening. He heard nothing but the swords in front of him, saw nothing but the opponent in front of him. His smile widened to manic proportions. His eyes were nearly bloodshot. He was so fixated on the fight that he didn't even notice that the old man had cut into his arms twice already.
The wind picked up as they both sped up, Tsuda's heartbeat picked up the pace as well, though of course not as fast.
Someone from a distance would have thought that a person was firing off a machine gun, in fact, someone did pick up the noise and moved to investigate, a full two minutes passed between the two swordsmen, enough for a certain someone to hide next to a boulder and watch from one of the hills in the distance. Their presence did not go unnoticed; however, as Ren perked slightly. She moved her head to where the culprit was, letters in her eyes.
Upon seeing the culprit her eyes widened before she looked back towards the two men fighting. With a blink the letters in her eyes vanished and she couldn't help but release a sigh.
Tenka caught onto the sigh but she was too fixated on the battle in front of her. Not once since the fight began did her eyes leave Tsuda's figure. Ginna had been staring with wide eyes the entire time as well. At first she thought that the Chief of the First Unit was going too far with using her ability, but that thought was quickly thrown out the moment Tsuda drew first blood.
She tilted her head towards the two chiefs next to her. "Are we sure Peaches don't work on men?" She couldn't help but ask, which got a snort out of Ren. Tenka didn't respond, still fixated on Tsuda's movements.
The clashes were deafening, the wind picked up rocks and dirt from around them. They're arms nearly becoming a blur.
In contrast to Tsuda's manic smile, the old man's face was as stoic as it was when they started, but eventually that stoic mask began to crack. Every now and then a clash between the two caused the old man to cringe, his eyebrows wrinkling.
From above, from below, from the left, from the right. From above then to the right, from below then to the left, from above then back down, from the left to the right, from below then to the right. From left and above, from right and below, from left and below, from right and above.
Finally, Tsuda took a step forward, which allowed for the old man to get a few strikes in, but this didn't stop the young man. As quick as he could, with his muscles aching and his hands shaking slightly, he held his nodachi towards the sky before swinging downwards, with enough force to create a gust of wind.
Of course, he took too long to strike, so the old man was able to easily dodge; however, what no one (even the spectators) expected was Tsuda to completely halt his movements before his sword hit the ground, and faster than a blink of an eye he swung upwards with all his might, creating another gust of wind.
The upwards strike stabbed into the oldman's torso, and sliced upwards towards and out his shoulder, releasing large splashes of blood. Tsuda held his hands and the sword upwards, his breath labored. Despite finding it hard to breathe, the smile on his face never once left. Silence reigned in the area, before finally the old man dropped his katana.
His left shoulder hung off his torso, and blood poured down like a fountain. One droplet of blood accidentally flew towards Tsuda, landing on his face and breaking him out of his high.
He blinked, dropping his sword to his side and gazing at his defeated opponent, who still stood upwards.
He blinked again, feeling the blood on his cheek.
"Oh shit–"
He dropped his sword in a panic. "Oh crap oh crap–"
He stopped his panic as he heard a noise, a noise that came from the old man, who didn't make a single noise up until this moment. It took a second for Tsuda to realize that the noise he heard was a chuckle.
With a smile, the old man gave the young Tsuda a pat on the shoulder before vanishing in a brilliant white light. Though his blood remained.
The words that Riu told him prior to the fight echoed again in his mind, despite the blood the person he just fought was not a living being. He did not just kill a person. With that affirmation in mind Tsuda released a loud sigh of relief.
His heart had been on cloud nine the entire time, and it still hadn't calmed down. He dropped to his knees and stared at his aching arms. His hands were an unnatural red from the stress and pressure. Another wave of relief swept over him as his cuts began to heal at an unnatural rate. I guess that's the barrier, he thought.
After a few breaths he released a chuckle upon hearing footsteps. He looked up towards the three Chiefs (and the barrier girl).
"Well?" He did not need to finish the sentence. The three chiefs exchanged glances, after all three nodded to each other, Ren walked up to him and held out her hand.
"Welcome to the Anti-Demon Corps, Housekeeper."
This author's note is mostly for my main site (FFN) but I thought that I might as well keep it because I have some personal feelings that I really just need to air out.
(A/N)
When I was working on the last chapter, I was actually going to have him fight Ren, but then I realized that was just overkill, so out of the kindness of my heart I allowed for my boy to actually get a win— i.e fight someone who wasn't Ren.
Anyways, for the reason behind the long breaks; I have a commitment problem I think, the moment I realized that this slopfest was actually going to be something that I want to be passionate about, my doubts just skyrocketed. Not only this, but I have too many ideas (not just for this fic but for every fic I have and every potential fic) and I can't focus for too long on a single story. I wanted to keep a schedule for this fic but idk if I'll be able to keep my word. So I decided that I won't keep a schedule. I'll go about my own pace with my stories, but I'll attempt to still push myself because I'm genuinely passionate about writing. I mentioned this my last comment here, but I described this story as wish-fulfillment but my wish as the author is to make a "cool story". I want to add onto that and say that my wish is to make a "cool and satisfying story (to me, at the very least)." Maybe it's objectively trash or maybe it's just mediocre, either way I'm still going to try.
With that said, thank you for reading!
Much love
-an Idiot on the Internet.
Anyways, thank you for all the kind words and enjoy!
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Riu Myouga grabbed at Tsuda's face and pulled his cheeks hard– hard enough for him to feel as though she was trying to rip apart his face. The young man accidentally dropped his sword when he tried to grasp at her arms and push them off of him.
She continued to pinch at his face for a minute before finally letting go. She took a step back and crossed her arms, glaring at the young man. Tsuda rubbed at his face with a cringed look.
"You need to leave, or else she's going to freak out." The old Chief scolded.
"She knows what I'm doing," Tsuda defended, "she wouldn't have made this sword otherwise."
While Riu was chastising the young man, Tenka had grabbed his sword and placed it back within its sheath. "Do you two know each other?" She asked, handing the weapon back to Tsuda– who responded with a murmured 'thank you'.
Riu shook her head. "No, but Masamune and I still keep in contact, and for the longest time she wouldn't stop talking about this child that she found in a demolished town."
"Masamune…" Ren tested the name, taking a second to remember where she heard the name. "That's the nickname of your old Vice-Chief, is it not?"
Riu nodded, "One of the best bladesmiths out there, her swords were the best against the Shuuki."
"Mune didn't mention any friends…" Tsuda racked his brain, attempting to remember any mention of Riu. He couldn't think of anything; however, the closest that could fit the old woman's description was when Masamune talked about– "Oh, right!" He snapped his fingers.
"You were the old ha…..old woman," He attempted to correct himself, a bead of sweat trailing down as the old Chief glared holes into him. "That Old Mune talked about a few times."
Riu's glare softened as she asked, "I'm guessing she referred to her friend as 'Old Hag'?"
"Ah… well…" How ironic that the boy who had challenged the Head-Commander just minutes prior found himself sweating at the current situation. As his adopted mother used to say, 'hell hath no fury like an old woman's scorn', or something like that. Thinking about it now, Tsuda thought that Old Mune really just wanted an excuse for her bad temper.
The tension surrounding Riu Myouga dissipated, however, as a chuckle left her lips. "That rotten woman, we're the exact same age."
In an attempt to change the subject, Riu took the insult well but Tsuda knows that he's definitely not going to step on a landmine like that again, he brought up something else that the old bladesmith used to mention.
"Ah, she also talked a bit about her favorite customer, the husband of her… uh… old friend."
A bright and nostalgic smile graced Riu's face. Her eyes seemed to look beyond the confines of the room, far into a past life.
"Hah, that's right, every sword she made for us was an experimental one." She laughed, memories rushing to her mind. "She liked to use us as guinea pigs for her new ideas, a lot of them didn't really work out so well.
A few seconds passed before her eyes refocused back to the scene in front of her, she looked towards the sheathed blade held within the young man's hand. Then she looked back into his eyes.
"She knows what you've planned to do with this sword?"
Though not expecting the question, Tsuda hesitated before nodding. Riu picked up on this and asked. "What's with that hesitation boy?"
"She uh…" He faltered, were this a cartoon one could have heard him audibly gulp. "She knows that I want to train by fighting Shuuki but she doesn't… she doesn't know that I sneaked into Mato to do so."
Silence reigned in the room for a full three minutes. All three women within the room just stared at the young man, who only now realizes how crazy he most likely sounds.
"And how did you accomplish that?" The Chief of the First Unit asked.
Tsuda's eyes suddenly found great interest in the ceiling above them, "I lied to her about knowing someone in the Corps who could give me a safe passage."
Despite the confession, Riu found herself chuckling. "She's going to give you hell when you see her again."
The young man visibly deflated. "I know."
"Well?"
Tsuda looked up, "Well what?"
"Was it worth it?" Riu clarified. "Sneaking in. Did you get what you were looking for? Were you looking for anything to begin with?"
Tsuda took in the question and stood still in silence for a full minute, thinking about the answer. He wasn't particularly looking for anything outside of just getting better at the sword. Even getting better at the sword isn't his 'main' goal, no, his main goal is achieving that technique, which he doesn't know if it's possible or not.
Then he remembered the events that occurred before Riu Myouga interrupted. He side-eyed the Head-Commander, who had sat back down and made herself comfortable on the chair behind the desk.
"Not yet." He finally answered. His grip on his sheathed blade tightened and he stared into Riu's eyes.
"I still haven't fought someone yet."
"Hm." The old lady hummed. She crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and tilted her head. A decision popped up in her head but she's hesitant about following through.
"Then…" Finally, after a minute, she unfolded her arms and gave Tsuda a choice, "Would you like to prove yourself?"
Tsuda's hand twitched, he took a step forward with hope in his voice, "Can I?"
Riu looked towards the Head-Commander, while Tsuda looked towards Tenka.
Ren stood up, and they both nodded.
With a nod of her own, Riu looked towards the young man before motioning towards the door, "Let's go then."
Tsuda quickly followed after, too quickly in fact. Ren looked towards Tenka with a raised eyebrow. "You brought in someone quite interesting."
A smug smile graced Tenka's face in response. "I know."
Ren, Tenka, and Tsuda followed Riu into the backyard. Along the way they passed a young girl, with short wavy hair, who greeted them. "Ginna." Ren motioned for the young girl to follow, and despite the papers in her hands she obeyed nonetheless. Tsuda took notice of the way she sideeyed him, and the disgusted glare on her face as she did.
One of those, he thought, though he found that it didn't really bother him. Solely because he didn't care, he had something far more important to be focusing on.
Outside of the base of the 10th Unit, the dark bluish and black stone covered the area towards the horizon. In the distance tall mountains stood over the view like pairs of guardians.
While Tsuda had been taking in the view of both Mato and the Head-Commander's base, the new girl, Ginna, had been drawing a large circle around the yard.
"You." She walked up to him, and he noticed the way she cringed as he turned towards her. "Write your name here." She handed him a plank and a brush. He did so and handed it back towards her.
He tried his best not to sigh as she quickly grabbed the plank from his hand, and reacted as if she was forced to pick up dog feces. He knew there was going to be some people like this. Seeing it first hand would have been comedic, were he not on the receiving end.
She quickly dug a hole and grabbed a stack of planks nearby. Tsuda noticed that the names of the Chiefs were also on the other planks.
With a clap of her hands a large and bright barrier surrounded the yard, Tsuda looked on with both astonishment and confusement.
Tenka walked up to him, having noticed his confusion.
"This is Ginna's ability. Only those who have their signatures written somewhere within the barrier are allowed in, and also…" She held out her hand. "Can I see your sword real quick?"
Tsuda raised a curious eyebrow but he obliged nonetheless. Handing the sheathed nodachi over to Tenka. She gently unsheathed a bit of the blade and ran her finger over it, cutting herself.
"What–" Tsuda attempted to ask, but he was stopped as she held out her cut finger towards him. He watched as the small cut healed itself at an unnatural speed. She wiped off the blood that had escaped and showed him her finger again. It looked as though nothing had happened to it.
"Those that are allowed within her barrier also can heal any damage done within the barrier."
"Woah…" Tsuda said in awe. He felt a poke in his shoulder, and looked down to see Tenka returning the sword back to him. He gently grabbed it back.
"Is there a limit to the damage that can be healed?"
Tenka took a second, placing a finger (the same one that she had cut to demonstrate the ability) under her chin. After a few seconds she shook her head.
"According to her, even if you were beheaded, so long as you were and are in the barrier, you will be healed."
Tsuda whistled, looking up at the barrier that surrounded them.
"Of course," Tenka continued, "No one has been beheaded while in a barrier, but I have seen people lose an arm and leg that were healed because they lost them while in the barrier."
Then she faced her entire body towards him and crossed her arms. "And just so you don't get any ideas, just because a lost limb can be returned doesn't mean you should go trying it."
"I wasn't thinking that, I'm not a masochist or suicidal." He said with a tilted smile. He definitely wasn't thinking about testing the limits of the barrier's healing ability…
Well, he wasn't intentionally thinking about it.
"Recent developments have made me think otherwise." Tenka teased.
"Are you ready?" From across the area– within the barrier– Riu Myouga called out to Tsuda.
The young man looked towards Tenka, who nodded. "Good luck." She walked away with a smile and a wave, moving to stand right next to the Head Commander and Ginna.
"Um… Commander?" Ginna, who had been brought here with no prior warning, leaned over to her Chief and whispered.
"Hm?" Ren hummed in acknowledgement, giving permission for the younger girl to continue.
"What's…" She looked towards the Chief of the First Unit, then towards the random young man across from her. "...all this about?"
Ren tilted her head towards the Chief of the Sixth Unit, "Tenka here brought us something interesting, so out of kindness for her decision, I allowed for the boy she brought to prove himself."
"Him?" She pointed towards the young man with a cringe. "What's so special about him?"
"Now that," The Head-Commander sideyed Tenka with a sharp smile. "I hope to see too."
With a hand on his chest Tsuda took in a deep breath, attempting to calm his rapidly beating heart. It wasn't because of anxiousness, rather the opposite. He was too excited to think as clearly as he wanted to. After a few breaths he released a final exhale. With a sharpened look he quickly unsheathed his nodachi and took two practice swings.
"I'm ready." He said, loud enough for Miu to hear from the other side.
With a nod, the Chief of the First Unit took a breath, then she placed her hands together in front of her and with her elbows pointing outwards.
"White Mausoleum."
From within her palms a bright white light proceeded to glow. As clearly outlined by the name of her ability, a white japanese-styled mausoleum appeared from next to her. Its large doors proceeded to open, allowing for a shadowy figure to emerge. As it fully exited the doors, the figure came into full view. An old man– one who seemed to be around the same age as Myouga– with spiky gray hair, donned in a traditional white kimono. A sheathed katana held within his hands.
Throughout the entire display, Tsuda's eyes had gone through a myriad of emotions, from confusion, to intrigue, to excitement, to an attempt at serenity.
"The man you see before you is my late husband, Toshihiko Myouga." Riu Myouga began to explain. "In this state, his physical capabilities have been increased to superhuman levels."
One word stuck out to the young man. "Late?" He called out.
With a nostalgic smile, Riu nodded. "My husband has been dead for some time now."
"Ah…" Not knowing how to respond, Tsuda defaulted to what he assumed would be just common courtesy, bowing his head lightly and apologizing.
"Don't apologize boy, besides," She motioned towards the old man, who proceeded to unsheath his own katana. "Does he look dead to you right now?"
Tsuda stood upwards, giving a curious glance over the old man. Obviously, he didn't look dead at the present moment, but that would mean…
"Is your ability–"
"He's not undead, if that's what you're thinking." Riu shot down his question right away, causing Tsuda to deflate slightly. "However, I wouldn't necessarily say that's too far off."
By this point, the large mausoleum had already vanished, leaving only the old man present on the field.
"For the sake of this 'spar', think of the body you see before you as an automated puppet, designed solely for battle." That is essentially Riu's Myouga's ability. The dead "summoned" by her become puppets whose sole purpose is to fight. Normally Riu herself would be fighting alongside them, as one of the benefits of this ability is the boost in power from both the summoned and the summoner. This time, however, Riu stood to the sidelines, wanting to measure the boy's capabilities from the side.
The feeling of excitement came back in full force, and at this point Tsuda just decided to try and ignore it. Riu's next words caused an unnaturally sharp smile to spread across his face.
"So if you want to truly prove yourself, do not hold back!" The Chief of the First Unit roared. "Fight as if your life's on the line!"
She held her hand up.
"Three!"
Tsuda subconsciously licked his lips and moved into a stance. One that he's copied from his idol. He tilted forward before kneeling with both hips. Moving his sword forward before moving it back so that the hilt was right next to his face, tilting it so that the sharp part aimed upwards.
"Two!"
The old man stood still, not having moved an inch since he unsheathed his blade.
"One!"
Riu swung her arm downwards, mimicking a chop. "Fight!"
The very moment the word 'fight' left her mouth, the deceased warrior took a step forward, before seemingly blinking out of view.
Tsuda felt a breeze pick up near his face. There! As quickly as he could, Tsuda flipped the sword within his hand, its sharp end now facing downwards. Within a blink he moved his arms back so that the hilt was just behind his face– still to the side of it– and then he swung forward and downwards.
Right as he swung the old man appeared in front of him, swinging his own katana upwards. The two meet in the middle with a loud clang. A sharp breeze emanated from the clash.
Tsuda didn't want to use that technique so early, but this moment felt like the perfect chance. Not wanting to give the old man time to act, Tsuda quickly tilted his blade and swung upwards. Obviously, the old man dodged, the blade barely trimming his beard.
Tsuda knew that this was the outcome, he used the force from swinging the blade upwards to quickly swing it back down. The old man's eyes widened, not expecting the speed at which the blade traveled.
He quickly tried to step back, but the blade hit its target. Tearing the front of his kimono and leaving a hand sized cut on his chest, although it was a shallow cut, barely any blood poured out.
All of this happened within a blink of an eye.
Tsuda clicked his tongue, had he used the technique the correct way– swinging downwards from above before quickly swinging back up– at that distance, then he would have definitely gotten the kill.
That thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but he quickly shook that feeling off. The man in front of him was technically already dead, so it wasn't technically "killing".
Tsuda didn't have much time to think as despite the injury the old man was quickly on the offensive. It seemed the technique, despite being sloppy according to Tsuda, was enough to impress the old man, as the old warrior appeared in front of the young man and swung downwards.
Tsuda quickly held up his nodachi, blocking the swing, but the old man kept pushing. After a second of struggle between the two, the old man quickly brought his hand up once again before swinging downwards again, this time the force caused Tsuda's defense to drop, while the nodachi still remained in Tsuda's hand, it had been pushed down, beneath his chest. Luckily Tsuda was able to keep his torso a safe distance from the katana–
Tsuda's eyes widened as the old man tilted his katana, and quickly swung it upwards. At the right moment, Tsuda quickly stepped back and leaned back. The katana missed both his head and torso.
Tsuda took another step back to regain his posture, straightening himself up. The old man swung again, this time from the right side. Tsuda quickly retaliated by swinging from the left. Once again the two blades met in the middle with a loud clang. The sheer force of each swing caused the blades to bounce off on another. The old man quickly gathered himself and swung again, still from the left but this time from below. Tsuda quickly gathered his own blade and swung from the opposing direction, still from the right but from above.
Another clang echoed, and once again their blades bounced off each other. They swung again from opposing directions, this time the blades slid off each other, which allowed the old man to switch his swinging arm, moving his sword from right to left, Tsuda retaliated once again.
The clanging of swords reverbed across the ground as the speed of both swordsmen picked up. To Tsuda, the clanging of these two blades was deafening. He heard nothing but the swords in front of him, saw nothing but the opponent in front of him. His smile widened to manic proportions. His eyes were nearly bloodshot. He was so fixated on the fight that he didn't even notice that the old man had cut into his arms twice already.
The wind picked up as they both sped up, Tsuda's heartbeat picked up the pace as well, though of course not as fast.
Someone from a distance would have thought that a person was firing off a machine gun, in fact, someone did pick up the noise and moved to investigate, a full two minutes passed between the two swordsmen, enough for a certain someone to hide next to a boulder and watch from one of the hills in the distance. Their presence did not go unnoticed; however, as Ren perked slightly. She moved her head to where the culprit was, letters in her eyes.
Upon seeing the culprit her eyes widened before she looked back towards the two men fighting. With a blink the letters in her eyes vanished and she couldn't help but release a sigh.
Tenka caught onto the sigh but she was too fixated on the battle in front of her. Not once since the fight began did her eyes leave Tsuda's figure. Ginna had been staring with wide eyes the entire time as well. At first she thought that the Chief of the First Unit was going too far with using her ability, but that thought was quickly thrown out the moment Tsuda drew first blood.
She tilted her head towards the two chiefs next to her. "Are we sure Peaches don't work on men?" She couldn't help but ask, which got a snort out of Ren. Tenka didn't respond, still fixated on Tsuda's movements.
The clashes were deafening, the wind picked up rocks and dirt from around them. They're arms nearly becoming a blur.
In contrast to Tsuda's manic smile, the old man's face was as stoic as it was when they started, but eventually that stoic mask began to crack. Every now and then a clash between the two caused the old man to cringe, his eyebrows wrinkling.
From above, from below, from the left, from the right. From above then to the right, from below then to the left, from above then back down, from the left to the right, from below then to the right. From left and above, from right and below, from left and below, from right and above.
Finally, Tsuda took a step forward, which allowed for the old man to get a few strikes in, but this didn't stop the young man. As quick as he could, with his muscles aching and his hands shaking slightly, he held his nodachi towards the sky before swinging downwards, with enough force to create a gust of wind.
Of course, he took too long to strike, so the old man was able to easily dodge; however, what no one (even the spectators) expected was Tsuda to completely halt his movements before his sword hit the ground, and faster than a blink of an eye he swung upwards with all his might, creating another gust of wind.
The upwards strike stabbed into the oldman's torso, and sliced upwards towards and out his shoulder, releasing large splashes of blood. Tsuda held his hands and the sword upwards, his breath labored. Despite finding it hard to breathe, the smile on his face never once left. Silence reigned in the area, before finally the old man dropped his katana.
His left shoulder hung off his torso, and blood poured down like a fountain. One droplet of blood accidentally flew towards Tsuda, landing on his face and breaking him out of his high.
He blinked, dropping his sword to his side and gazing at his defeated opponent, who still stood upwards.
He blinked again, feeling the blood on his cheek.
"Oh shit–"
He dropped his sword in a panic. "Oh crap oh crap–"
He stopped his panic as he heard a noise, a noise that came from the old man, who didn't make a single noise up until this moment. It took a second for Tsuda to realize that the noise he heard was a chuckle.
With a smile, the old man gave the young Tsuda a pat on the shoulder before vanishing in a brilliant white light. Though his blood remained.
The words that Riu told him prior to the fight echoed again in his mind, despite the blood the person he just fought was not a living being. He did not just kill a person. With that affirmation in mind Tsuda released a loud sigh of relief.
His heart had been on cloud nine the entire time, and it still hadn't calmed down. He dropped to his knees and stared at his aching arms. His hands were an unnatural red from the stress and pressure. Another wave of relief swept over him as his cuts began to heal at an unnatural rate. I guess that's the barrier, he thought.
After a few breaths he released a chuckle upon hearing footsteps. He looked up towards the three Chiefs (and the barrier girl).
"Well?" He did not need to finish the sentence. The three chiefs exchanged glances, after all three nodded to each other, Ren walked up to him and held out her hand.
"Welcome to the Anti-Demon Corps, Housekeeper."
This author's note is mostly for my main site (FFN) but I thought that I might as well keep it because I have some personal feelings that I really just need to air out.
(A/N)
When I was working on the last chapter, I was actually going to have him fight Ren, but then I realized that was just overkill, so out of the kindness of my heart I allowed for my boy to actually get a win— i.e fight someone who wasn't Ren.
Anyways, for the reason behind the long breaks; I have a commitment problem I think, the moment I realized that this slopfest was actually going to be something that I want to be passionate about, my doubts just skyrocketed. Not only this, but I have too many ideas (not just for this fic but for every fic I have and every potential fic) and I can't focus for too long on a single story. I wanted to keep a schedule for this fic but idk if I'll be able to keep my word. So I decided that I won't keep a schedule. I'll go about my own pace with my stories, but I'll attempt to still push myself because I'm genuinely passionate about writing. I mentioned this my last comment here, but I described this story as wish-fulfillment but my wish as the author is to make a "cool story". I want to add onto that and say that my wish is to make a "cool and satisfying story (to me, at the very least)." Maybe it's objectively trash or maybe it's just mediocre, either way I'm still going to try.
With that said, thank you for reading!
Much love
-an Idiot on the Internet.
trashtaker
Know what you're doing yet?
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I FCKIN LOVE SASAKI KOJIRO
Vanta Mk.XII
Fraud and Clown
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Keep cooking bro.
Yzakschwarz
Getting sticky.
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It's a crossover with what?
Dagaz
Getting out there.
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Fate and Chained Soldier/Mato Seihei no Slave
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