"Ai-ue, Hi-oe has a quewtion!" Four year old Hinoe babbles on his lap.
"What is it" Zeno asks in a calm manner, watching as her clear blue eyes brighten up.
"When is the-the Nizi- ni..nitti" Hinoe bites her lip and frowns. The reason being she can not say the word she wants to say properly. Shaking her head and short black hair she tugs at Zeno's sleeve to get an answer from him.
"Nichirin blade?"
"Yeaw! Niziwin bwade! So when ih it co-ing?"
"This month, be patient Hinoe, you'll see it soon enough. Then we'll see if the blade transforms into a pretty yellow color like dads or if your Aniue gets some other color." Zeno slowly tells her and plays with the gray bow in her hair.
"Yeawh!"
And a few days later the promised Nichirin blade arrives.
Zeno watches in fascination as the blade goes from yellow to red to black. Black apparently is an unlucky color and not many live long. But only the very tip was black, it wasn't even easily noticeable. Yellow indicates thunder and red fire.
He has had fire breathing abilities in his dragon form before. That's probably why the red appeared. But it was mostly from hilt to a bit beyond the middle point in yellow. The black wasn't seen easily even if you check it very closely.
Zeno smiled while sliding the blade inside the sheath old man Gou had made for his first sword. Zeno turned and watched as the kasagaikarasu arrived in through the window and told him his first mission. The crow seemed a little like him from his very early life back in Kouka. Like the very early Kouka, before dragon blood early, when he was actually a child early. Back then he was always wanting to be useful, being cheerful yet he always had mischief in mind.
He pats the crow and listens as it snickers and proceeds to tell him where to go. Some demon had taken a habit of munching on people who were on border patrol in a high lord's village. The lord had seen people missing and gotten even more anxious, sending more patrols out. It was becoming a serious problem.
Zeno hums in thought for a while before nicknaming the crow Gaben. A name made by smashing together Guen, Abi and Shuten.
Well, to the south he goes.