The smell of cherry blossoms and the hotness in the air greet him when he opens his eyes.
"I am Yamanbagiri Kunihiro. Does that fact that I am a fake bother you?"He mumbles as his eyes seek out the one who has brought him to life.
Teal eyes stop at a white-clad person with eyes the color of gold and a small pipe-fox at their fox. They smile at him and the small forge seems to lighten up.
"Welcome, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro-san. I am the sage in charge of this citadel." Their voice is soft and light as they introduce themselves. "Please take care of me."
His teal eyes meet the younger's golden ones and he nods quietly.
What would he be if he couldn't protect his own master?
The sage is small and seems so fragile until one sees how they put themselves on the front lines to assist their warriors.
"Five of the Time Retrograde Army ahead." They call out while their warriors run alongside them, jumping from roof to roof.
Yamanbagiri slows down as he sees their sage lagging behind. Shooing the worried tantou ahead, he waits for the sage to catch up.
"Don't do this again." He tells them as they stop next to him.
Their golden eyes meet his teal ones and he can see the exhaustion and pain in them. Yet, the sage stubbornly refuses. "It is nothing but a scratch."
Yamanbagiri raises a brow as he quietly inspects the bleeding gash on the sage's arm. "A scratch, huh?" He mumbles as he meets the stubborn golden eyes with his deadpanned teal ones.
Something that resembles a pout appears on the sage's face that reminds him of how young they are. "You shouldn't have done that." Yamanbagiri murmurs as he holds the wounded arm with one hand and wraps a piece of clothes that used to be a part of his cloak around the gash to stop the bleeding.
Once again, piercing golden eyes meet his teal ones and a frown mars the sage's young face. "If I haven't, Akita-kun would have gotten hurt." Their voice ends with a grunt as Yamanbagiri ends his warping with a tight knot.
"You shelter them too much." He grumbles as they turn when the cheering of the tantou is heard.
Akita leads the crowd of tantou with Sayo, Aizen, Gokotai and Imanotsurugi at his heels. On their faces are smiles or at least, a look of satisfaction, in Sayo's case.
A small smile tugs at the sage's lips as they shoot him a smirking look. "You are the same, Yamanbagiri-san." They say, referring to the soft smile on his lips.
Cheeks flaming, he tugs at his hood. "I am merely happy because we've won." He splutters as the tantou crowd around them.
The sage doesn't grace him with a reply but they laugh, petting Akita's soft locks as the little boy launches himself at them.
The citadel grows each day as the sage grows stronger and summons more swords to their side.
"They are getting better at this." Konnosuke comments as they watch they sage pick resources to forge a new sword.
Yamanbagiri nods, keeping an eye on the sage as they speak to the blacksmith. Lately, there are rumors about how the blacksmiths of the other citadels drive their sages up the wall with continuous chains of one-hour-thirty and three-hours, and as a result, there are little blacksmiths burning in their forges.
His master rarely loses their temper but he keeps a lookout, fearing the sage will be punished by the government because of an impulsive action.
The digital screen in the forge flashes to life with the one-hour-thirty timer on it.
"Thank you for your hard work." The sage bows gratefully before they rise. There is a glint of annoyance in their eyes as they leave the forge with Yamanbagiri and Konnosuke trailing behind.
"Yamanbagiri-san, I would like you to lead a team to Atsukashiyama." They say as they are nearing the sage's private room.
"Understood." He replies, matching them strides for strides. "Who else is on the team?"
They stop with a hand on the doorknob as they search for some names. "Hotarumaru, Nakigitsune, Izuminokami Kanesada, Horikawa Kunihiro and Heshiriki Hasebe."
He nods politely as he turns around to leave. "I will be back soon." He murmurs and dashes away at their nod.
Seems like there will be a grand victory.
The sage rarely loses their temper but when they do, their wrath is as silent as a lurking predator.
Disregard of their small build, their golden eyes flash steely as they stare down the ones who have foolishly challenged them.
"I don't know what they are thinking, letting a naïve child lead the operation." One of the monthly inspector drawls with a stack of carefully written reports in her hand.
His hand is ready to close around the hilt of his sword as the sage pastes a forced smile on their face and politely answers their questions, disregard of their obvious rudeness.
"Do you even know how to write a report?" Another official scoffs as he takes a look at the numerous draft about sorties and expeditions. "There should be more sorties than this."
"I will take that into consideration." The sage nods politely with a smile so forced one can spot it a mile away.
Behind the sage, Yamanbagiri scoffs as Konnosuke politely argues with another official.
"The repair record is quite long." Notes another inspector. "Either your leadership is quite poor or your warriors are as incompetent as you are." She scowls, flipping through the fifty pages record from the repair room.
"It is my fault for pitching them against stronger enemies." Humbly, the sage says. "Every warrior in this citadel has contributed greatly to the government. The only thing that holds them back is my inexperienced."
Yamanbagiri scowls as he moves in between the officials and his sage. "Injuries are inevitable." He chimes in calmly. "What our master wishes, we will carry it out to the letter. That is more important than a few scratches."
The officials turn to him and one of them cringes in distaste. "A sword is an object to kill. It should not interfere with human's problems."
Not a second later, the sage has stood face-to-face with the inspectors, golden eyes sharp and when they speak, everything stops. "According to legends, a tsukuymogami is superior to us humans with centuries of knowledge and experiences." Their eyes scan coldly through the crowd of inspectors. "Do you, perhaps, believe we humans can rival them in terms of experiences?"
Then, the sage turns to the small pipe-fox and politely, they ask. "Konnosuke, please escort them to the front gate. Yamanbagiri-san and I have business to take care of."
Without another word, they turn and leave.
Casting a heated glare a the officials, the attendant hurries after the sage, leaving the small pipe-fox with the inspectors.
The sage is young. Younger than most, is what he has heard from Konnosuke.
Yet they take on the job with the unshakable determination that reflects in their golden eyes.
They work tirelessly, commanding sorties after sorties, overseeing expeditions after expeditions.
And that results in their warriors fondly calling them a slave-driver.
When the sage finds out, they laugh while some of their warriors pale. "I really am a slave-driver, am I not?"
Later, when there are just the two of them, going through reports, the sage asks out of the blue, breaking the silence between them. "Yamanbagiri-san, do you think I am a slave-driver?"
"Does it matter?" He grunts as he squints at the sloppy handwriting of Jiroutachi. The sage should start a ban on alcohol. "We are swords. To serve our master is the reason for our existence."
The sound of shuffling stops and Yamanbagiri pauses to take a look at the sage.
With a frown on their lips, golden eyes clash with teals and the sage twirls the pen in their hand. "I can't disagree with your reasoning but I want you and every warrior in this citadel to have a fulfilling life." They say, voice just barely louder than a whisper.
A small, half-smile blooms on his lips as he turns back to the half-read report.
Such wistful thinking of a young child.
One could easily forget how young the sage is.
Endless hours of paperwork, dedicating themselves to the government give the sage a mask that doesn't quite fit their child-like features.
As the attendant and the one who has been at the sage's side the longest, Yamanbagiri knows the true nature behind the calm, collected mask.
He keeps his silence when he follows them to the repair room, rushing past Kasen with dirty laundry in his arms and a group of tantou helping Gokotai with his tigers.
It seems so peaceful yet it contrasts with the panic he feels as they are nearing the repair room.
"Please wait outside." The sage orders as they slip into the room with Konnosuke before the door closes heavily.
The newly returned team looks on worriedly as he joins their ranks, standing with crossed arms and fear numbing his heart.
They were sent to Ikedaya to face the Time Retrograde Army just hours ago.
Six were dispatched and only four came back alive and suffered no life-threating injuries.
Kashuu and Yamatonokami lean on each other as a tired Yagen dresses their wounds. Nagasone stands near where the swords of Okita are, clutching a blood-soaked Shinsengumi haori in his hand.
They wait and wait until the door opens and the sage steps out, pale faced and trembling with grief clouds their golden eyes.
"My sincerest apology." They speak, voice surprisingly unwavering. "We have lost him."
Yamanbagiri can only bite his lips, close his eyes and wish he was dreaming.
He soon finds out that he cannot escape this horrible dream as Kashuu wails in agony and Yamatonokami curses angrily.
The sage only mutters another apology as they leave, brushing past a worried Urashima.
Gathering himself, he turns to Konnosuke and orders. "Please get them treated."
Not waiting for the fox's reply, he rushes after the sage, passing the crowd of Awataguchi swords that come to check on Yagen.
Quietly, he opens the door to the sage's room only to find them burying themselves in paperwork.
They look up as he closes the door behind him. "Is there a problem?" They ask, voice a little raw and holds the fragility of glass.
In silence, they stare at each other. Golden and teal clash, searching for a reaction.
Eventually, the sage sighs, lowering their eyes to the half-written report. "I am sorry for your lost." They say.
"Deaths are inevitable." Though it breaks his heart, he replies. "We swords warriors never know when it will be the last time we see this citadel and talk to our family and comrades."
"Sometimes, I think it would be kinder to leave you as swords." The sage laughs hollowly as their eyes once again meet his.
"There are always two sides of the coin." He rumbles in reply, watching the sage with sad teal eyes. "You ought to know that certain things are unavoidable, especially when we are at war with the Time Retrograde Army."
For a long time, the sage doesn't reply until a heavy sigh escapes their lips. "From tomorrow on, Mikazuki Munechika-san will take your place as the attendant and captain of the First Unit."
The order comes so suddenly but he nods. The sage's orders are absolute. "Then I shall fetch Mikazuki Munechika immediately."
He turns and is ready to leave when the sage's voice sounds. "Yamanbagiri-san, I appreciate your efforts but I would like you to take a well-deserved rest."
Nodding slightly, he exits the room.
Seems like the sage has finally lost interest in a replica.
One cannot disagree that the sage is a second Tsurumaru from their looks to their love for surprises.
And Yamanbagiri receives a rather pleasant surprise when the sage tells him to accompany them to the forger.
"I have something to show you." They have said, eyes brimming with happiness and relief while Mikazuki giggles behind his sleeves ahead of them.
There is a flurry of cherry blossoms and his heart stops when he hears a familiar voice. "Excuse me, has Kane-san, no, Izuminokami Kanesada been here?"
The sage smiles as they answer. "He is out in the fields." Voice gentle, they approach the newly forged wakizashi. "Welcome, Horikawa Kunihiro-san."
Horikawa nods and does a polite nod before their eyes meet.
Teal and blue clash and Horikawa greets him with a grin that he hasn't seen for a long time.
A smile tugs at his lips as he waves back, carefully ignores the knowing smile on the sage's lips.
"Welcome, Horikawa Kunihiro."
Fin