2 - Swords
The girl led Zoro through the maze-like jungle, using short-cuts and hidden paths along the way that indicated how well she knew her way around. After a half-hour walk, they finally reached a hidden clearing, and a small wooden hut came into view. The hut seemed barely big enough to house two adults, and the wood was decorated with deep stains and scratches, indicating that the house was old and worn. Several bags filled with coal and large wooden logs were stacked against the wall of the hut, along with a wooden workbench that bore deep black ash stains. A box full of neatly organized tools sat on top of the workbench, and it clicked in Zoro's head that the coal, workbench and tools all belonged to a swordsmith.
Following the girl inside the hut, the wooden door swinging shut shakily behind them, he was led through one of the two rooms in the hut which seemed to be a living area. A small table and two chairs sat in the middle of the room, with a low bench and fire pit lining the wall behind the table, opposite to the doorway. A tall wooden cupboard covered the adjacent wall.
The girl gestured for Zoro to sit on the chair as she walked to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of sake and two sake bowls, before settling down on the other chair and pouring their drinks. Zoro brought the cup to his lips and drank the liquid in one gulp, smiling when the sake went down his throat cleanly and left a slightly sweet taste on his tongue.
He let out a satisfied 'ahh' and stated, "this is some good sake." The girl smiled in reply.
"My grandfather's inheritance." The words carried a lightly joking tone, but her smile hinted at the sadness behind it.
"Are you a swordsmith?" Zoro asked, not hesitating to voice his curiosity.
"No. My grandfather was. He lived here with me until his final days. I've been on my own for 3 years now."
"Your swords… did your grandfather make them?" Zoro peeked his eye at the katana strapped to her hip, with a simple black hilt and black leather scabbard. The tsuba (guard) was what caught his eye, as its soft pink colour, matching her hair colour, stood out against the black. It had a curious shape, resembling a flower with its five petal-like points. He noticed that the kodachi she also carried seemed to be made clumsily, with uneven grooves on the hilt that were barely noticeable, but would make the slightest difference to the wielder of the blade. There was absence of a tsuba, and it seemed to be slightly shorter than a traditional kodachi. The length seemed to inch closer to a dagger than a shortsword.
"Yes. He made my Benzaiten." She stated proudly, holding the katana out for Zoro to examine. She hesitated slightly, before bringing out her kodachi, turning away from his gaze with a blush as she said;
"This is Inari… I made her with my grandfather's guidance when I was fourteen. It was the first sword I made… and will be the last." She rushed the last part.
Zoro couldn't help but smirk, as he replied,
"Heh… it's made very clumsily but, are you able to use it?"
"Eh? Ah… Y-yes. I can use it fine." she stuttered.
"Then that's all you need."
Her cheeks and ears tinged pink at the hidden compliment. Zoro picked up Benzaiten, unsheathing the blade and examining the swordsmith's work, and felt something strangely familiar about the sword. The blade was made extremely skillfully, and could even be considered on the level of one of the famous 21 Great Grade swords.
"May I examine Master's Ichimonji?"
Zoro brought out his sword for her as promised. He watched her carefully as her delicate hands stroked the sword, carefully feeling out its details, from its hilt, to its tsuba, to the blade. His watchful gaze intensified as she ran her fingers against the flat of the blade, wondering if she would cut herself accidentally. She didn't, however, and skillfully resheathed the blade when she was finished as if she was not hindered by her lack of sight at the least.
"By the way, why do you keep calling me master? My name's Zoro."
The girl raised her head as she said, "because Master saved my life, I will call you Master."
She said it as if it was the most obvious and most natural thing in the world, and Zoro didn't have time to question her before she spoke again.
"As promised, I will explain to you how I am able to sense your swords, and how I knew one of them was cursed. Although I can not see, I am able to use my other senses to understand what is happening around me without my sight. I am especially able to sense cursed energy, which is why I can tell that one of your swords is cursed. I can also tell that you, Master, are no ordinary swordsman, and that you must have incredible skill and luck to be able to wield that cursed blade."
Zoro stayed silent as he pondered her words. He couldn't completely understand what she meant by being able to 'sense' cursed energy, but knew that she was telling the truth to him.
"Well, it's true that I picked up this cursed Kitetsu by chance, tested my luck with it. But what about my Wado Ichimonji? How can you recognise this sword so easily, even if it is a famous blade?"
"I-" Suddenly, Zoro kicked the girl's chair backwards with such force that she landed on her back with the chair, letting out a surprised yelp. He stood up with lightning speed and snatched his sword up from the table.
"Stay here and don't come out until I come back." He commanded, looking back at the girl with a dangerous glint in his eye.
Licking his lips, Zoro stepped out of the hut, instantly being hit by the coldness of the night. He smirked as he stared into the darkness, the light of the full moon casting shadows over his features and hiding his eye, and the murderous aura in them.
"Where do you think you're pointing that thing?"
The girl had been too shocked to register what happened before the swordsman left. She had felt the presence of an unknown shadow a second too late, as the swordsman had already reacted before she could, pushing her chair over and letting her fall onto the ground. She felt a little bit hurt that he couldn't handle her more gently, but shook away the embarrassing thoughts as she realised that he had saved her from a silent bullet that almost pierced her temple. She could smell the smoke left by the bullet on the wall, and chastised herself for not noticing the incoming danger sooner. She was still too slow with her senses, and made a mental note to increase the intensity of her training for later. Still reeling from the shock of the incident, she tried to remember who it was that could want to harm her. She had rarely spoken with a stranger during eighteen years of living, and couldn't recall anyone who would harbour hostility towards her. Why would anyone target her like this?
The sound of clashing blades distracted her from her thoughts, and she crawled herself from her position on the floor, outside of the living area and leaned herself against the wall next to the door leading outside. She listened intently to the clinking of metal, shuffling of footsteps and low grunts from the two men who were crossing swords outside. The shadow with the gun seemed to be skillful with a blade, his footsteps being precise and strategic. Although she already knew that the Master swordsman was undoubtedly an expert at his craft, due to his ability to wield a cursed blade, she was still in awe as she listened and felt his expert movements and ability to hold his own against the shadow. The girl raised her brow as she felt the swordsman reach for his third blade, in addition to the two he already held in each hand, and wondered how he was going to use a third sword. She had already been curious as to why he carried three blades, but dared not to ask the intimidating man.
She smiled in awe and concentrated intently on his movements as he clenched the hilt of the sword between his teeth, and proclaimed the word "santoryu" before twisting his whole body and slicing the shadow up in one swift movement. The sound of a body hitting the floor indicated that the fight was over, with the master swordsman as the victor. She sprung up from her position against the wall and turned around to go congratulate her saviour. Just as she was about to step out the door, she felt the presence of another shadow creeping up behind her but could not yell out in time before they grabbed her from behind and pressed a cold blade against her neck.
"Do not move or yell, or I will end your life right here."
*footnote: Ooo, some action coming up next chapter! Please leave a like or comment (truthfully i just joined this site and don't know how it works) or interact in anyway to boost this fic. And let me know if its good or completely dumpster fire trash! It's my first fic, and first time posting a writing piece of mine for public eyes :3
