Well hello there reader, my name is Sai, welcome.
This story is the sequel to Coldhearted so I suggest going and reading that first if you haven't. It's not an immediate sequal but takes place about a month after the events of Coldhearted. I hope you find this story as enjoyable as the previous one. This time the story will be told from Oboro's perspective and the relationship is going to be making some progress... probably.
Oboro was organizing the pantry for the mess hall with the new supplies they had recently received. She liked to be organized and hated having things clustered or messy. Other people thought she went over the top with her organization, but she enjoyed it. She never felt comfortable to just sit around and do nothing, she liked being busy. As she put the last of the new stock away she stood up and stretched.
"Alright that's done now. Yeah, this looks good." Glancing over her work she was satisfied with how everything was organized. "Now I need to get back and do the laundry for tomorrow and prepare clothes for Lord Takumi."
Oboro hastily made her way back to her room where she gathered clothes that needed cleaning. She brought them outside with a wash basin and began scrubbing them clean. She made sure to not damage the stitching of any of the fabrics. Once they were dry she hung them up to dry in the sun. The weather was good today and she was happy for a chance to do the laundry that had been piling up. She sometimes got carried away with the various chores around the castle and forgot about taking care of her own stuff.
"Hey, Oboro have you seen Lord Takumi?" Hinata, Oboro's fellow retainer for Lord Takumi, called out to her as he ran up to her. "He's supposed to be at a war council soon but I can't find him. He said he was going for a walk around the castle grounds but I haven't seen him."
Oboro could feel anger starting to boil up inside her. "Hinata... where do you think you are right now?" Luckily there didn't seem to be anyone else around at the moment so as long as she ran him off quickly Hinata wouldn't get in trouble.
"Huh? I'm right here aren't I?"
"I meant, why are you in the woman's quarters you idiot!" Oboro had been washing her clothes and her undergarments were hanging on the line nearby drying. Noticing this Hinata blushed deep red.
"O-oh... Uh... So you haven't seen him around here." Hinata stuttered and averted his gaze.
"Why would he be in the woman's quarters! He's not an idiot like you!"
"Uh well I mean... he's a guy to so I thought maybe-"
"Maybe nothing! Out! Get out! He's not here! Now go!" Oboro chased Hinata out at spear point. "I wish Hinata would learn to think a bit more before acting. Knowing Lord Takumi, he's probably already at the war council wondering where Hinata is."
"That was quite the comedy routine", came a voice from nearby.
"Oh, Hana... Sorry about that. I didn't mean to shout like that."
"It's fine, if it were me I would have knocked him out on the spot." Hana was Lady Sakura's, Takumi's younger sister, retainer, so she filled much the same role that Oboro did and the two often talked together. "Anyway you've been going at it all day so far, don't over work yourself."
"This much is fine. I wouldn't be much use as a retainer if I couldn't manage at least this much."
"If you say so, but to me it looks like you push yourself a bit too hard. Well I also need to be at the war council so I'll take my leave." The swords-woman left with haste as she headed towards the castle keep.
Oboro finished cleaning her clothes and left them to dry as she headed back to her room. She swept out the dust that had built up and cleaned up her sewing tools. She had been spending time lately designing new patterns but she wasn't satisfied with any of her work. Beruka had been joining her occasionally to learn about sewing and tailoring. The girl was incredibly dexterous and she was able to pick up even advanced techniques with ease. Oboro was honestly quite jealous as she remembered long nights spent practicing the techniques over and over.
One thing that Oboro did lack though was an eye for design. Most of the patterns she made were simple consisting of plain colors or using only one or two colors. Oboro had shown her an example and she had been able to replicate it, but when Oboro had her try to come up with one on her own it hadn't gone so well.
By the time she had finished cleaning it was already early afternoon. Oboro collected her clothes that were now dry. It had been a quite day so far and she hadn't run into many people. Lately the soldiers had been spending most of their time training rather than actually fighting. The war was still going on but they were locked in a stalemate at the moment. Not that it mattered much to Oboro, when she wasn't fighting it gave her more time to take care of the large number of chores that needed doing.
Today was one of the three days of the week that she would spend with Beruka teaching her tailoring skills. Though after a month the other girl had already become incredibly skilled. Oboro had nothing left to teach her in the practical part sense. However, she still had much to teach when it came to understanding fashion. She had put together a list of topics that she wanted to discuss tonight and she was excited for her visitor to come. It was strange to think that a month ago the two never did much more than give each other cold looks. Well, Beruka still gave her cold looks but that's just how she was. Just as the sun was starting to go down Oboro heard a knock on her door.
"Come in."
Beruka opened the door and entered inside. She wasn't wearing the armor she usually wore but instead she was wearing a black Hoshidan style robe with silver trim. Oboro had made it a while back and it suited Beruka well. It was hard to see because she was always wearing armor, but Beruka actually had great proportions. She was thin but still had modest curves, and her lean muscles stood out and accentuated her physique. Oboro didn't have any curves so she was jealous of how good Beruka looked when she put in a little effort.
"I've come again, today you said you wanted to talk about fashion rather than practicing right?"
"Right! Even if you have the physical skills necessary to be a tailor, that doesn't mean you will be successful. To really make it in the fashion world you need to have an eye for fashion, and you need to be able to follow the latest trends. Especially if you spend time traveling like my parents did. Just because something is fashionable in one place at a certain time, doesn't necessarily mean it will be possible somewhere else."
"That seems... troublesome. Isn't the purpose of clothes to protect our skin and to cover us. People make the biggest fuss about strange things."
"Now, now, some people treat as an art form. To them it's like music or beautiful painting."
"If that were true then wouldn't fashion always be the same? A painting never changes and yet people can appreciate its beauty regardless."
"Arggh whatever! The point is if you want to become a good tailor you need to be able to recognize and understand fashion trends. So we are going to start by having you look at several outfits and I want you to tell me if you think they look good, bad, or plain."
"Very well."
Oboro went into her closet and changed into a simple set of clothes. It wasn't ornate but it was comfortable and was an outfit she wore occasionally when she was relaxing alone. She stepped out and showed off to Beruka.
"Well?"
"Hmm... I think... it looks good."
"O-oh. Alright then next outfit." Oboro went back and changed clothes again. This time she put on a stylish dress that had a leg slit on one side to show of the wearers leg. The dress was a deep green with a white trim and a pattern of ripples on it. It was one of the favorite pieces in her collection.
"How about this one?" She again showed of her outfit to Beruka. She again felt a bit jealous of the other girls bust as the dress would certainly look better on a curvier figure.
"I... think this one is better."
"Mmhm", so far the answers were basically what she had expected. These first two outfits were both the type that would be visually acceptable at any given time. While the first set was plain it was well coordinated and comfortable, and the green dress was an outstanding piece.
"All right then next one!" Oboro had a bit of a surprise for the next outfit. It was a multi-colored outfit that to the average person would look gaudy or ugly. However, this outfit had been the typical style of dress in Hoshido courts many years ago.
"Well then how about this outfit?"
Beruka spent a while looking over the outfit without saying anything. She spent so long staring that it was making Oboro feel uncomfortable.
"How long are you going to stare?"
"Well... I don't really know. Is this what you would call ugly? But... it looks strange. More weird than ugly, but still ugly I guess."
Beruka seemed really unsure about how to judge the outfit. Oboro was amused by how focused Beruka was and she felt like teasing her.
"This is actually the popular style among Nohrian nobility at the moment. I'm sure Lady Camilla has a number of outfits in this style."
"Eh? Really... how... strange. I can't really picture Lady Camilla wearing something so... colorful. But if you say so."
Oboro had to stifle her laughter as Beruka took everything she said seriously. She would correct Beruka before she left though. Oboro went back and changed into her normal clothes.
"Alright, you did pretty well. Now I want you to put together and try on an outfit. We should be the same size so you should be able to use my clothes."
"Mh." Beruka grunted as she moved into Oboro's closet. Several minutes passed while Oboro waited for Beruka to come back.
"Beruka? Are you alright?" Oboro decided to check on the other girl.
"Yes. But I can't figure out how this part is supposed to be worn."
"Let me see." Oboro went over to the closet and walked inside. She glanced at Beruka and gasped sharply. Beruka was wearing a pair of long black pants that hugged her body. She was trying to tie the red, robe top that was the other part of the outfit but she seemed to be confused by the style. The robe had become disheveled and was hanging lower than it should and it was open on the front. Oboro could see Beruka's bra and modest breast as she tried to get the top to fit. Oboro could feel her body heating up as she stared at the other girls body. Beruka's body was well toned and her abs were quite nice to look at.
"Oboro?" Beruka had stopped struggling with the top and was staring at her.
"Oh, uh sorry let me help. You certainly chose an interesting outfit."
"Really? It seemed like something that would be comfortable to wear but also offer good mobility. Despite how tight it is the fabric is still flexible and is easy to move around in."
"Well yeah, it was designed to wear into battle. This was an outfit I made for Lord Takumi some time ago. The reason you had trouble with the top is you had it on backwards. Here switch it around."
Beruka did as she was told and took the top off leaving her topless except for her simple bra. She turned the robe around and put her arms through so that the gap was on her back.
"Like this?"
"Yeah now you do this." Oboro grabbed the left side of the robe on the back and pulled it around. The fabric was designed to stretch all the way around to the front where it was tied in place. Once on it left the right shoulder uncovered but covered the midsection and left arm in the tough fabric. "Lord Takumi uses a bow so the right arm is left uncovered so that he can draw it easily. There's also some armor piece that can be worn over the shoulder to protect it."
"I see. If this is for Lord Takumi, why is it in your closet?"
"I haven't quite finished it yet. There's a bit more detail to be but in and I want to adjust the size a bit more. Although, it fits you remarkably well." Beruka fit the outfit almost like it was made for her. It would appear that her physique was very similar to Lord Takumi's.
"Well, this is the outfit I chose."
"Y-yeah... It's very... you. You picked it because it's a functional outfit that is also comfortable. But what about the appearance? Did anything about the look make you think it was the best outfit in this closet?"
"Hmm... I don't think so. It looked comfortable and practical so I though it was a good piece of clothing."
"Wait... don't tell me that when you were judging my outfits earlier... you were judging based on how comfortable or functional they looked."
"I was."
An absolute sense of defeat hit Oboro. She thought she had made some progress but they hadn't even left the starting line. She wanted to teach Beruka about fashion, but the other girl didn't seem to posses any inclination to be interested in it. With a heavy sigh Oboro massaged her temple.
"Oboro. I don't think I'm suited to understand fashion. But, I think I've honestly come to enjoy tailoring. So... thank you."
Oboro could tell that Beruka's thanks came from the heart, but she could also feel some sadness in her voice. Beruka began stripping out of the outfit.
"I'll wait outside", Oboro dashed out of the room so she wouldn't end up staring at Beruka's body. What is wrong with me? I've helped people get dressed countless times before so why am I so flustered. I've helped Lord Takumi, Lady Sakura, and even Lady Hinoka get dressed but I've never felt like this. Oboro paced quickly as she waited for Beruka to finish changing. After a few minutes the other girl emerged from the closet.
"Well, we didn't make much progress this time, but we can always keep trying. This isn't something you can just learn over night after all." Oboro wasn't quite satisfied with the days results but she felt they had made a little progress.
"Oboro... I'm done. I appreciate the thought but... I don't think fashion is something I'll ever come to understand. When I see an outfit my first thoughts are things like, where could I conceal a weapon, or, how well can I move in this? I never wonder whether or not it looks good, as long as it doesn't attract attention." Beruka's voice was cold as she replied to the excited Oboro.
"But, you're so good and sewing. You really have a talent when it comes to working with your hands. I've been studying tailoring all my life and I still learn new things all the time. You can't just give up."
"Thank you. For someone like me, who's only purpose was to be a tool to kill, it means a lot to hear praise for something other than taking a life. But, my hands are soaked in blood, and the veil over my eyes prevents me from seeing things the way you do."
"Then... you're just giving up? Didn't you say you wanted to find something to do after the war was over? That you wanted to get away from all the bloodshed?"
"Yeah. But, that's where I belong. I've come to realize that someone like me... is better off just staying in the shadows. I can't be a part of your world." There was a shadow in Beruka's eyes as she stared at Oboro. They had gone back to the dull lifeless eyes she had when they first met.
"Fine then", Oboro was angry at how easily Beruka had given up. "If that's how you feel I won't stop you. I wanted to help because you helped me. Even if you think that you're involved with my parents death somehow, the truth is you were the one who helped me to get over it. If it wasn't for you I would still be consumed by my desire for revenge."
"I'm happy to hear that. I'm the kind of person who's only ever had a hand in trying to continue the cycle revenge. So if I managed to stop even a single person from wanting revenge, then I'm happy."
"You say that but you're just going to go back to killing right? Aren't contradicting yourself!"
"It's what I'm best at. It's the only skill I can truly master, and I can't run away from it. I've killed ever since I was a child. I killed for scraps when I was starving. I killed for money when I was offered a job. This is how I am." Beruka moved towards the door.
"I'm disappointed."
Beruka said nothing in response as she left the room. Oboro could feel tears running down her cheek as soon as the door clicked shut.
So that's it for this installment. I think it turned out well despite being quite different from how I originally planned it. There was a lot more drama at the end then I was planning. Originally I was going to make this a fluffy chapter, but somehow it turned into this... I don't fully understand how my brain works when I start writing. So the next story will be the last one, it will be rated M and have some explicit content towards the end, but I'll write all of the story stuff before that for those of you who aren't interested in the explicit stuff. As for when it will be out... I don't know, whenever I get around to writing it I suppose.