So, after months of not writing anything and distancing myself from the RP world, I am positive that my writing skill is decreasing. Not to mention that this is my first time―okay, maybe not the first time―writing in a first person point of view, but it has been a long time since I did that and I am much more comfortable with writing in third person. But if I choose to do this in a third person POV, I need to choose a pronoun to use, and a saniwa can be any gender, and I don't really like a story with they/them pronouns as it can be rather confusing... So, whether I want it or not, I have to do this in a first person POV.
Anyway, this chapter was not proof-read. I couldn't wait to publish it, so... yeah. Watch out for grammatical mistakes and typos.
Okay, enough rambling for now! You can now enjoy it to your heart's content. Though, of course, there will be more notes after the story! Alright, go and read now, shoo, shoo.
A cherry-blossom petal fell on my head, stuck in my disheveled hair which had not been combed since lethargy was keeping me here, sitting at the edge of the citadel, watching as the other cherry-blossom petals fall to the ground, coating the green grass with pink.
I didn't bother to take the petal away from my hair. I kept on humming, enjoying the spectacular view of pink that was presented before me while keeping on a small smile across my features. Pink wasn't particularly my favorite color, but I couldn't imagine what other color would suit these cherry-blossoms other than pink.
I mean, sure, the combination of red, dark brown, and light brown in autumn is wonderful and perfect, but nothing could beat the beauty of a sea of cherry-blossoms under a tree of one.
Some of the petals fell on the pond below the tree, resulting small ripples to be made on the blue yet translucent water.
If I had a camera right now, I'd definitely take a picture.
"Ah."
Shaking my head, I quickly attempted to perish the thought off of my head.
No. Stop thinking about the future, you. What is present is present. Don't think about the future until your job is done.
"Aruji, you have something on your hair."
Startled, I nearly jumped out of from the wooden edge if it weren't for the strong grips that held me back. Shooting the owner of the hands a surprised glance, I rolled my eyes before letting out a laugh. I'd recognize that blonde low ponytail anywhere.
"Jeez, stop sneaking up on me! You're not Tsuru."
Shishiou laughed. His laughing face had always reminded me of the sun up there, bright and cheerful. "Maybe it's just Aruji who's so easily surprised!" he laughed as he helped me catch my balance, refraining me from tumbling over.
Instead of wearing his usual battle outfit, Shishiou was donning his usual black hoodie―track jacket?―which was adorned by those unexplainable yellow patterns, for I hadn't send him on any expeditions yet.
"Shut up," I snapped playfully. When he just tossed me his signature saintly grin, I tapped the free space beside me, beckoning for the blonde to sit on the spot.
"But seriously," he started, reaching out to my head, only to take the petal from my unkempt and tousled ringlets. "Letting something to fall on your head, and―" he grimaced, "―a really bad hair day? What's wrong with you, Aruji?"
Emitting a chuckle, I impetuously ran a hand through my unkempt locks in an attempt to comb and fix them; as though my fingers were a comb―although everyone knew the attempt was futile.
"Nothing, pretty much," I said simply, turning my full attention back to the stunning view that was given to me, which seemed to catch the captain of one of my auxiliary teams' eyes.
I could tell, from the sudden silence that manifested itself between us, that Shishiou was having quite a trouble comprehending the meaning of my answer to his question. I knew that a certain question appeared in the back of his eyes. I didn't really mind, though, this clueless part of him―it was actually kind of cute, in my opinion.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" I said.
"Huh?"
"The view," I replied, almost too quickly. I glanced at him, forming a smile on my face. "The cherry-blossoms."
"Oh, um..." Shishiou blinked several times, before instantly swinging his head to the front.
I swear on the hopefully future arrival of Mikazuki Munechika, I saw his cheeks turned pink just now.
Or was that just an effect given by the color of the cherry-blossoms?
I wasn't sure which was the correct one.
It didn't take long for Shishiou to be mesmerized by the scenery. His lips were apart by a few centimetres, and his eyes, which were round and wide, were filled with awe. The scenery had taken his breath away, and I was not disappointed by it.
"Right?"
My repetition seemed to have brought him back from his moment, as seen from the stutters he had before clearing his throat. "Yes, of course it is. One of my favorite seasons, obviously."
I only gave him a hum in response.
"So..." he paused. "Really, that hair! Is bugging me!"
The immediate move Shishiou performed made it impossible for me to reply. He leaped from his seat to my back, and just from that gesture, I knew promptly what his intentions were.
And when he inserted his slim fingers into my tousled locks, I knew I was right.
"Just what exactly are you doing?" I questioned, even though I already knew the answer.
I couldn't see him, but I knew he was pouting. Maybe there was a possibility that I was an Esper?
"Your hair's bugging me. I can't stand it," he whined, like a child who couldn't get what he wanted.
"And since when were you an excellent hair-dresser?" I shook my head, but grinned and let him do it anyway.
I can feel his fingers combing my hair slowly and carefully. His motion in my hair was awfully meticulous and... how should I put it―tender? It was like he was patting his pet, or something... And at that abrupt thought, my smile turned upside down.
"I am not your nue, Shishiou," I knitted my eyebrows.
He seemed to get the joke because he cracked up, stopping his tender motions for a moment. "Maybe I'm just too used patting him," he said, refraining from patting my head as he didn't want to ruin his effort at mending my hair.
I rolled my eyes for the second time today, before bringing up a new topic. "Speaking of your nue, where is he?"
"Playing with Gokotai and his tigers," Shishiou answered as he pushed a few strands of my hair to the front to frame my face. "He seems to be comfortable with him. Gokotai, I mean."
"You'd make a good big brother," I grinned.
"Probably," he agreed, grinning back, but then as soon as he spoke his next sentence, the felicity he had just a moment ago had already vanished. "Anyway, Aruji, can I ask you something?"
I lifted my eyebrows at his sudden change of mood, making an effort to look at him but he hissed and ordered me to look straight. Pretty sure it was just so he could mend my hair easier. Nonetheless, I indulged.
"What is it?" The urge to see what kind of expression he had right now was excruciating. But I could tell just from his voice that he was rather unhappy.
There was a brief dramatic pause before he opened his mouth. "Whyyyy am I not the captain of the main teaaaaam?!"
The sudden child-like whine caught me off guard. My eyes widened for a brief moment, surprised, and blinked several times. "What?"
"Why is Tsurumaru the captain of the main team?" he said with his usual mumble-growl. Just like an upset lion.
"He's new," I frowned. "He needs to be trained and get stronger, and I am not a soft saniwa. That's why I chose him to be a captain for a while."
"But I'm your strongest sword! I should be protecting him while he trains," he paused when I raised my eyebrow at him. "...Well, second strongest before Yamanbagiri."
"True." I honestly have no reason to deny that fact. "But Tsuru can get stronger faster by putting him in the captain position. That way you'd get your original position back."
There was a short moment of silence before Shishiou let out a huff. "So I need to be patient?"
I nodded firmly. "You need to be patient."
And then his fingers stopped mending my hair. I thought he stopped because he was annoyed, or maybe angry, but when he shifted his seating position back to beside me, I knew I was only being pessimistic.
"Aaand, voila!" Shishiou beamed, his hands pointing at my now supposedly neater hair, as if presenting it to other people. He looked extremely happy by the result, and I didn't know if he was indeed a good hair-dresser or not―so I had my doubts. "It's done!"
I couldn't keep my dubious frown out of my face. There was no mirror around, so it was impossible for me to see whether the result was good or not. I tried to touch it, but the attempt was useless. I need a mirror.
"Is it good?"
"It's good," Shishiou nodded firmly, no doubts shown in his cat-like eyes. "Better than good!"
I studied him for a few moment―his expression, the look in his eyes, the way he said that my hair was good―I didn't fully believe him, but I nodded anyway. "Thank you, Shishiou."
But he decided to add something unnecessary. "And pretty, as well."
And at his sudden compliment, I could feel my face turn into an embarrassing reddish hue, similar to Kashuu's nail color. He didn't even look like he was trying to compliment me. He didn't look like Nikkari when he tried to flirt with me. This was not an attempt to flirt, this was a genuine compliment. The other swords compliment me all the time, but why was my face turning red now?
"T-Thank you...?" Embarrassment had taken over me so much that I began to stammer. But when I look up to him again, his face was flushed pink too. And whether this was unexpected or expected, I myself was not really sure.
Our eyes met, and he was the one who averted his gaze first. He tried to form a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, but he failed miserably as the grin turned out to be similar to something someone would make when they're about to vomit.
"Y-Yeah, you're welcome..." he trailed off, and for the umpteenth time today, an awkward silence arose between us, and the fact that we weren't looking at each other made it more awkward.
The quietness was agonizing. Even with the stunning landscape that was held upon us, it still felt like something had to be done to break it. The silence remained uninterrupted for a good three minutes before I decided to tear it down with a cough, which instantaneously caught the sword boy's attention.
I stood up and fixed my gaze upon him while building up a warm countenance, adorned by a benign smile, watching his eyes flickered with bewilderment. I reached out my hand to him, to which he just stared at, which grinded my gears quite a bit.
"A nice day to dance, isn't it?" I hinted, urging for the lion to take my hand.
His eyes widened, clearly did not expect for something like this to happen. "Wait, wait, Aruji, I—" His mouth began to produce some incomprehensible words and incomplete sentences as his cheeks became somewhat rosy. And being the mean master as I have always been, I found the scene cute and amusing. "I can't da—"
I knew perfectly what was about to come out from his mouth so with a swift movement, I took his hand and intertwined it with mine, pulling him to where the one of the cherry-blossom trees—the one which do not linger above the pond—was.
Dancing wasn't my forte, but at least I knew the basics of it. However, it was crystal clear that the rather inept man who was standing before me here had never cut the rug before. I curtsied, and then we circled each other, although his movements were gawky and inelegant.
"You can't dance," I kindly completed his sentence while positioning my hand on his shoulder. I gave him an unreadable smile, with mischief veiled behind it. "I know that."
"U-Um, well—t-then shouldn't we be not doing this?" He was still stammering, how adorable. He seemed to be attempting to not make eye-contact with me, and that behavior annoyed me a little. "Plus, we don't have any music…"
"Music is unneeded!" I beamed merrily, much to Shishiou's terror. "All we need is a ticking, and I can do that with my mouth." I offered him my most encouraging smile; he didn't see it, nevertheless, since his eyes were looking elsewhere.
"R-Right—"
"Don't worry, I'll be guiding you," I reassured him, before continuing, "Now put your hand on my back…"
And after he did what I told him to, I looked up, and our eyes touched immediately. And in that moment, I swore my heart skipped a beat and my face turned hot. But he was not looking at my face, which made me feel glad and irritated at the same time. "Look at me, Shishiou."
I wonder if that yelp was my imagination. Probably. "Sorry, sorry…"
"That's fine," I smiled. "Just… try to keep your gaze locked to mine, okay?" I saw him gulping down his own saliva before nodding.
"Ready?"
"Y-Yeah."
And I began to count, and at the same time, I began to move my legs.
"One, two, three, four, five…" And so on. Together, we danced to the beat I made, which conveniently seemed to sync to the beating of my heartbeat. It hadn't been that long since we started off, but Shishiou had already almost stepped on my feet twice. But I guessed that was normal for a beginner like him.
A dance was supposed to make the dancers involved feel relaxed, but this time, it was different. Instead of feeling relaxed, I was tense, scared that Shishiou might step on me with his shoes.
On the other hand, I couldn't deny the fact that I was enjoying this, as I allowed a smile to form itself across my features. I watched his expressions flicker from fright, confusion, back to fright, and then back to confusion again. It was frustrating to see, but it couldn't be helped. And I also couldn't help but notice that there was one cherry-blossom petal stuck in his blonde ringlets.
I smiled to myself, noting that I should take it later.
While I turned elegantly, my body in tune with the slow beat, Shishiou was stirring his body awkwardly and ungainly. He was hardly syncing with the beat. I winced and hissed in pain when he finally succeeded to step my feet, which he responded with an apologetic whisper of "sorry!". He truly did have two left feet.
But even though our dance was the definition of awkward and clumsy, I, in spite of everything, relished the dance to my heart's content.
I guided him across the ground-coated cherry-blossoms slowly and carefully, not wanting him to fall down or something. I was content at the fact that he had yet to break eye-contact, and I hoped, in any case, he won't.
"…four, five, six, seven…"
"Aruji," he called but I ignored him as I continued counting.
"…eight. One, two, three, four…"
"Aruji, what if someone sees us—"
"Who cares?" I finally said, frowning, but did not stop my feet from moving. "It's not like they can laugh at you for being so amateur. Other than Hasebe, Mitsutada, Ishikirimaru, and Nikkari, who seem to be natural-born dancers, all of them probably have never danced before." I squeezed my hand on his shoulder—a soothing squeeze. "Like you."
My attempt at comforting him seemed to have worked, as he decided to zip his mouth once again and, this time, actually tried to turn and whirl around in an elegant way, although his movements were still all thumbs.
It was pretty unobtrusive, but he was fairly getting better by the second. Although, like I mentioned earlier, his movements were still all thumbs, he hadn't the need to step on my feet anymore. I could only hope that this was a permanent improvement.
I took him anywhere I please on this oh-so-dance floor. When I went right, he went right. When I went left, he went left. I sped up, he sped up. When I decided to twirl around like a real professional dancer, he improvised himself very well, even if he did get flustered the first few seconds. We continued until I decided it was enough and stopped, putting my hands down. He looked confused when I did, staring at me with those wide, cat-like eyes of his, but I gave him a contented smile which made him, too, smile.
"D-Did I do well?" he questioned, forming a bashful smile as he did so.
"No," I said bluntly and honestly. I wanted to say I could literally hear the imaginary stone in his stomach fell, but that'd be an exaggeration. "But for an amateur, you improved very fast."
His pleased grin came back again. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing!"
"It is," I chuckled. "You can take off your hand from my back, anyway." Just realizing that he still had his hand on my back, he quickly took it away, putting it back to his side. His face was slightly red, flustered.
Then I took a step forward, once again puzzling the man with my sudden and unexpected action, and then, without warning, my hand reached out to his head to take the petal that was caught on his hair earlier. I showed him the petal, grinning satisfyingly.
His reaction, too, was fulfilling, seeing that he was laughing to his heart's content. It was nice hearing his laughter again after fifteen minutes of him making perplexed and bewildered expressions.
"So, the tables have turned, huh?" He shot me a grin.
"I guess so." And so I grinned back.
And also, did I mention that we were still holding hands? Shishiou didn't seem to notice though. Well, it wasn't like I mind holding hands with him, though. Instead, I loved the moments we'd spent today.
It was, no doubt, one of my most precious moments that I had spent here.
Was it good? Leave me a comment and kudos if you want more of this kind of garbage-I mean, fic. This is like a reader insert fanfiction, but this is a much more legit version of it, since the Saniwa is actually part of the game (lmaoooooooo).
You can also request a one-shot of you, the saniwa, and your favorite sword. Just tell me who you would like me to write and the genre. Remember! Put in the genre so I can please you with exactly what you are looking for! Okay, for example, tell me that you want an angst with Nakigitsune, and I'll write it immediately. Got it? Yes, okay.
I already have Namazuo, Yasusada, and probably both Nagasone and Ishikirimaru demanded by my dear friends, so, your requests might have to wait.
Okay, that's all for now, I guess. Oh, and don't forget to give me feedbacks and kudos! Au revoir, peeps.
