Come melt away that broken eternity belonging to someone else!
The beauty of this planet is so fragile,
stained in red until it's filled to the brim. Do you feel lonely?
Don't let the color of that memory slip away just yet…

—us, Aimer

It was an old legend associated with the Naruhodou family heirloom—a white-hilted sword with a faded bandanna wrapped around its gorgeous black sheath, ominously named Karuma, "the demon who hunts."

I think I was about seven years old when I asked Dad about why we had such a valuable sword hung on the wall of the entrance hall, the first thing that visitors would spot after coming in through the front door. As far as I knew, the Naruhodou family had been nothing more than a humble middle-class family, even way back in the day, and this expensive sword seemed out-of-place for a house like ours. It would have looked better in a traditional Japanese house, I thought, not in a modern-looking house in the middle of a modern-looking neighborhood in the middle of modern Tokyo. Dad had chuckled and claimed that it was a charm, as its name suggested, placed there to make sure that no evil spirits can come inside the house. It was, apparently, originally from great-grandfather Ryuu's good friend, and had accompanied him on many an adventure while he was an exchange student in London.

Only one extremely faded sepia photograph of Naruhodou Ryuunosuke had survived to reach my dad, and it was what he whipped out from his work desk at home as he was talking about the family legend of the sword in the entrance hall. It was carefully framed, perhaps in an attempt to protect it from the weather, and on it was a nervously smiling young man with a cap on his head—I recognized him as great-grandfather right away, as my dad had inherited his facial features remarkably well—and a sterner-looking guy beside him with a strip of cloth that covered his forehead. They were wearing similar uniforms—they must have met at school. On the bottom of the photograph, I haltingly read the very fine script:

Naruhodou Ryuunosuke
Asougi Kazuma
Meiji 32

I did the math and concluded that this photo was almost a hundred years old, and quickly pushed the frame back at Dad. I might drop it and destroy the picture inside, and something this old would mean I'd be in for a scolding if I did. Understanding my train of thought, Dad just laughed and propped the frame so that I can look up at great-grandfather Ryuu's face and silently wonder if I'd grow to resemble him too.

Asougi Kazuma must be the serious person beside him then. With his flowing cape, fluttering bandanna, and the proud sword at his hip, he looked like some kind of modern samurai, perhaps a hero I wouldn't mind watching on television. I recognized Karuma almost immediately, its white hilt as unmarred as ever, and thought about how carefully great-grandfather and my family must have taken care of the sword. Even now, it looked eerily similar to its younger self as was depicted in this ancient photo.

Compared to the heroic Asougi-san, great-grandfather Ryuu looked a bit timid as he skulked, almost hiding behind his friend, as if reluctant to receive the same attention from the camera—or more accurately, eager to push more focus to Asougi-san. In the photo, he was glancing at his friend with a fond half-smile. "I remembered how Grandpa Ryuu liked telling the story of how he met Asougi-san," Dad told me with a smile, his forehead scrunched with a scowl as he tried to recall the finer details. "They apparently became friends over tongue twisters. I'm not sure if he was just joking or what, but he loved recounting that one. He always teaches us grandchildren new word games like those, too."

"That's a weird story," I remarked, simply.

"It is," Dad laughed. "But I'd like to think that something as simple as a tongue twister can bring such great friends together. Don't you wish you could find a best friend through something as easy as those?"

"…" For some reason, I can't think of an answer to his question, so I asked one of my own instead. "But why did Asougi-san leave the sword with Great-grandpa Ryuu?"

"Well… I don't really remember Grandpa's exact words, but I think Asougi-san died young. Or something like that. He was originally the one who had enrolled onto the exchange program to London, you see. When he died, Grandpa was left with the sword and the will to see Asougi-san's studies through, so he continued on to London in the place of his best friend."

"Oh…" I frowned. "That's kind of sad, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It must've been hard for him." Dad rubbed his chin. "Anyway, Grandpa took Karuma for himself as a memento of Asougi-san. I think the bandanna Asougi-san is wearing on the picture is the same one wrapped around Karuma now. I'm not sure, but it most probably is. Dunno if Grandpa tied it himself."

"So did Great-grandpa Ryuu think of Karuma as a charm back then?"

"More than a charm, I think it made him feel as if Asougi-san is still with him. It probably helped lessen some of his homesickness in London, as well as some of the regret that Asougi-san didn't live long enough to enjoy the trip with him." Dad's words were all complicated to the young me, but I imagined that going on a trip without the friend you had promised to go with could be really lonely. "When he came back and started a family here in Japan, he probably won a hard-fought permission from the Asougi family to keep the sword, and ever since, it has stayed within our family for almost a century."

"So Grandpa left you the sword, right?" I asked excitedly, my child's eyes immediately fixated on the sword in the picture of Great-grandpa and Asougi-san. "Would you give me the sword someday too? That'd be so cool!"

Dad burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess it is. But you first have to fulfill a condition before I can hand it over to you."

"I'll do it," I said immediately, thinking of Signal Blue's sword. The kids at school would be so jealous if I showed them that I have a real sword at home. I wondered if I can bring it to class once I fulfill whatever stupid condition Dad has and he tells me that I can have it.

But Dad's next words stumped me.

"Well, you would have to find a 'great friend' of your own."

"Great… friend?" I scratched my head, thinking. "I have lots of friends, though…"

"Well, do any of them in particular stick out to you?" Dad queried. "Do you have a good friend that you can trust without hesitation if you were ever in trouble?"

"I…" I felt confused. Was this a trick question or something?

"Think over it carefully. It's an important question that will explain just how valuable his best friend's memento is to Grandpa Ryuu." Sensing that my hesitation meant that I have trouble coming up with a straight answer, Dad grinned. "And Ryuuichi, once you finally find that 'great friend' for yourself and understood the true worth of the sword, you'd finally inherit it. Karuma."

"Naruhodou!"

Startled, Naruhodou Ryuunosuke broke off from his reverie to look over his shoulder. With an amused face, Asougi Kazuma looked back at him, a hand on his waist in what was clearly a gesture of impatience. As usual, Karuma loyally glinted at his hip. "We're due in about five minutes, partner," Asougi was complaining, and Naruhodou had to admire the cherry blossom petals dancing all around his friend impressively, as if trying to accentuate Asougi's already impressive aura.

It was the last week of the March of 1899—the country is in the middle of the turn of the golden nineteenth century.

"Alright," he called back, and jogged to keep up with Asougi as the latter turned around with a swish of his black cape and strode away, the red bandanna gently fluttering after him. "The cherry blossoms opened up earlier than usual this year, don't you think?" he asked breathlessly when he had caught up with Asougi's heels.

"Really?" Asougi replied without much interest. Not dampened in the least by his friend's wet-blanketing, Naruhodou replied, "Yeah, they are. Normally, they'd bloom next week or so. It's still a bit too cold."

"Hm." Asougi had thrown him a stern glance. "Anyway, what were you standing around there for? I had to look all over for you, you know."

"Sorry." Naruhodou chuckled with a slightly guilty expression. "I was thinking about a lot of things. Like, about how we're going to proceed from here on out. The future, in short."

"That's kind of unlike you, partner." Asougi was smiling. "To think of the future… I mean, you're usually kind of lost."

Naruhodou thought that an offended expression must have shown on his face, because Asougi was laughing. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend it to sound like that," he amended, his expression leveling into his usual neutrality. "I just meant that between the two of us, I thought I was supposed to be the worry-wart, not you."

"You are the worry-wart between the two of us, Asougi," Naruhodou said with a grin. "I swear I'd tear my hair out the next time I ever caught you bemoaning about your lack of preparation for a test that I've watched you study for a week, at least. You have the best grades in our year, Asougi. I don't think you need to be any better than you are now."

"There's always room for improvement," Asougi chided him, but with a teasing tone. "I need to be at least better than you in tongue-twisters."

"You're not letting that go, aren't you?"

"Never."

The two young men walked on in amiable silence, each of them lost in their own private thoughts, but Naruhodou was sure that they were both thinking about the great unknown that loomed before them, like a silent enemy that is only waiting to catch them unawares. "I wonder if I will ever be granted the chance to display my knowledge of the English language," he said, self-deprecatingly. "My proficiency will rot if I don't get to practice it regularly after graduating."

"The treaty will be sound for a long time," Asougi said, surprised. "We still have an abundance of Englishmen to talk to… or, do you actually want to go to the Great British Empire someday?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "You're hardly that adventurous, are you, Naruhodou?"

"Oh, stop making me out to be some homebody," chuckled Naruhodou. Asougi just smiled.

"You'll get your chance someday, partner," he said firmly, and the way he spoke the words made Naruhodou think that it seemed more like a promise than anything else. "We're here," Asougi announced, and Naruhodou looked past his best friend at the camera standing in a clearing surrounded by more of those cherry trees, their flowers shedding petals all over the schoolyard and looking like some kind of congratulatory confetti. Naruhodou couldn't think of anything in particular to congratulate themselves about for now, but the sight was beautiful.

"Ready, Naruhodou?" Asougi had beckoned him forward. His fingers were easily wrapped around Karuma's hand guard. "It's just one or two quick shots. For posterity." And he was smiling.

"Yeah." Naruhodou nodded at his friend, and smiled slightly. "Ready as I ever will be."

"Wow. That's such an awesome story, Naruhodou."—breathily.

"Isn't it?"

I was ten years old. It was almost October of the year 2001, and the leaves had started to pile up really quickly on the roads.

I had invited my friends Yahari and Mitsurugi over for a sleepover, and after dinner we three trooped to the entrance hallway where Karuma was displayed, in all its sleek black glory. Yahari had stroked the glossy sheath with trembling fingers, as if he was touching a sleeping snake and didn't want to wake it. Mitsurugi was just observing quietly, as was his wont, but he seemed really awed by the family heirloom as well. I stuck out my chest proudly as I prepared to deliver my finishing blow.

"And Dad promised me that if I passed that condition of his, he'd also give it to me and everything. Imagine that!"

"WHOA." Yahari was staring at me with newfound respect. "Naruhodou, you gotta let me borrow it once your dad hands it over. Promise me!"

"Sure," I said, grinning widely, but Mitsurugi suddenly spoke.

"But what was the condition?" he asked me, his face displaying as much interest as he was capable of showing. "You haven't been given possession of it yet, so that must mean you still haven't fulfilled your dad's condition. Is it something… really difficult?" he added, throwing the sword a quick glance.

"Mm… I dunno, really. He just said that I need to find a great friend of my own." I grinned at them, struck by a sudden inspiration. "Hey, but I found you two. I wonder if it counts?"

While a red-faced Mitsurugi was sputtering something indignantly, Yahari had burst into whoops of laughter. "Yeah! And you even got Mitsurugi, who practically has 'sword' in his name! I bet that's a god telling you that you've already found your answer, Naruhodou!"

"And he was the one who saved me first in that class trial thing," I exclaimed, laughing with Yahari. Mitsurugi was still blushing rather heavily. I guess no one has ever told him that he's someone who can be of "great friend" status. But I've thought back to my Dad's words—"Do you have a good friend that you can trust without hesitation if you were ever in trouble?"—and the more I remember how the two of them stuck for me, who was little better than an acquaintance, the more I was convinced that I had found my answers already.

And unlike Great-grandpa Ryuu, who only had Asougi-san's sword and bandanna to remember him by, I still have my friends beside me. As well as the Signal Blue keychain safely hanging from my schoolbag upstairs.

"Hey, we should probably play some games already," Yahari was saying, and I took my eyes off Karuma and looked at him. "Or else it's gonna be lights out before we know it!" He was already tearing down the hallway and up the stairs to my room, while Mitsurugi threw me a questioning look.

"Are you alright, Naruhodou?" he asked, a sliver of concern in his voice. "You ready to go back upstairs?"

Surprised for a moment, I cleared my face and gave him a cheery thumbs-up.

"Ready as I ever will be!"

We have all the time in the world, I had been thinking.

Mitsurugi, Yahari, and I have all the time in the world right now. There's going to be more and more fun times. This is only the beginning of our story.

Right, Great-grandpa?