Turning Swallow

Summary:

OR, One morning, four-year-old Sasaki Kojiro remembers a life not yet lived, and decides to do something about it. History changes. SI!Sasaki Kojiro. Expect general lightheartedness, but dark topics when the time comes.

CH. 37 START

With a mighty and ear-splitting crack, the roof began to shatter. The lighting had splintered the wooden beams holding up the thatch roof and now, without anything to support it, it was beginning to cave in. A plume of dislodged dust erupted from on high, signaling that another section of the roof was coming down, and a glance alerted Kojiro to the fact that it was coming down right on him. Rather than move out of the way immediately, he just hefted the katana in his hand. As the beam fell down, Kojiro's new blade arced up toward it. Rather than the logical outcome of the blade crumpling into junk under the weight of a half-ton support beam, it was the beam that was reduced. It took no effort for Kojiro to bring the blade through the wooden obstacle. A crack of thunder assaulted his ears and he bore witness as the blade sheathed itself in a shroud of writhing lightning. After a moment, the lighting dissipated and he realized that an actual sheath had formed itself around the katana.

He lowered the sword, before taking some time to survey his surroundings. Many of the observers sat in some form of stunned silence. They stared at him with a sort of dull shock, as though reality still refused to set in. When he looked straight at them, inevitably, they looked away in fear. A glance at Ieyasu and Hideyoshi yielded a different result, however. Both of them looked at him with the same steely confidence that was so common after his escapades at the Imperial Palace. Aside from the confidence in their eyes, Hideyoshi seemed almost nonchalant, nodding as if what'd just happened was only to be expected, while Ieyasu's badly-hidden glances towards the katana revealed just how much the man wanted to get up. He turned towards Nobunaga to find her eyes unreadable. Despite the pang of discomfort that fact brought him, Kojiro knew it was only to be expected.

Today was meant to be the day that Nobunaga cemented herself as the central figure of authority in all of Japan, but his catching of a bolt of divine lightning with his sword was incredibly disruptive to that goal. There was no greater sign of godly approval than an armament forged by their mystical powers. The fact that he, not Nobunaga, had received the blade was not a good thing if Nobunaga was to retain authority. To the Oda warlord, if there ever was a time for an ally to turn on her, it would be now. Kojiro took a deep breath, glanced down at the work of art in his hands, and let out a sigh. The katana was beautiful. The blade seemed to rhythmically pulse with lightning, while the snakeskin hilt was as bright as freshly-fallen snow. Beyond that, the sword resonated with him in a way that felt almost uncomfortable. It was like suddenly discovering he hadn't been using one of his limbs all his life.

It was only Kojiro's rationality that allowed him to even consider letting it go. Before anyone else could get another moment to think through what'd just happened, he turned on his heel to face Nobunaga. In the silence of the broken building, his footsteps might as well have been gunshots. Each one drew more scrutiny to him than he'd ever felt in his life. Nobunaga's eyes were the worst of the bunch. They were clear, simply accepting of whatever course of action he could choose to take. After what felt like an eternity, he was finally standing in front of her, and slowly, he unsheathed the katana. Her eyes flickered closed, but before Nobunaga could do anything extreme out due to a misunderstanding, Kojiro cleared his throat. Slowly, he lowered himself onto one knee. Placing the sheathe on the ground next to him, he held the katana with the blade pointed towards his chest and the handle easily within Nobunaga's reach.

A faint surprise filled Nobunaga's eyes before relief followed it. Lowly enough so that only she could hear, he whispered with a conspiratory grin, "We're not going to be done with one another for a long time yet, my friend."

"The sword is called Ame-no-Kaerikumo-no-Tsurugi, the Heavenly Sword of Returning Clouds," he announced to the crowd, despite staring straight at Nobunaga, "and it is to take the place of the Imperial Regalia of old. It is divine approval embodied. There are none more worthy to take possession of it than you."

Wordlessly, Nobunaga reached out and took it from his hands. The moment it left his grip, a pang of pain rang from within his soul, and he hid a grimace. A sense of desperate loss permeated his being for a moment before Kojiro took a deep breath and regained himself. There was an undeniable connection between him and the sword, but that wasn't important. He prided himself on his sword skills, not his possession of a mystical sword. He had needed to give it up for the good of Nobunaga's empire, so that was that. The crackling of lightning pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see the blade wreathed in electricity once more. It seemed that even though Kojiro could give up the blade, the blade wanted to remain in his possession. No doubt the blade had some form of awareness about it, provided by Susanoo. He mentally indicated towards Nobunaga and after a moment, the lightning that the blade was emitting dissipated, if with the distinct sensation of grumpiness.

Above, the sky rumbled unhappily, as if the heavens were frowning. While everyone else had been distracted by the commotion, Kojiro handed the sheathe to the Oda as well, and once the weather settled, Nobunaga tucked the blade back into its sheathe. Thankfully, Susanoo hadn't struck Nobunaga down for laying hands on the blade. He took a position behind her as she looked towards the crowd.

As he did so, he whispered under his breath, "We need to talk later."

She nodded minutely, before speaking loudly.

She held the katana lazily in her hand and with a tone of voice that another might've used when commenting on the weather, said, "It seems my course of action has been approved by the Gods. I trust that none of you have any objections to voice?"

No one spoke, nor had anything to say, beyond quiet mutterings of approval. It was as if merely speaking loudly would call thunder down upon their heads. Even if they were to disapprove, what more could they even do? Everyone in the room had seen thunder fall from the sky and form into a sword. Everyone had seen the lighting that had enveloped the blade and knew that the katana had approved of Nobunaga. After a few moments of deafening silence, Nobunaga spoke up once more.

"Very well then," she said, "you are all dismissed."

Despite her words, nobody so much as twitched before Nobunaga herself rose to her feet. Even then, they remained seated, even as Kojiro followed her out of the building. On the way out, he shot a glance toward Hideyoshi, before indicating the room around them. The man was clever; he could deal with the fallout of the situation.

After leaving the ritual area, the two of them returned to the barracks. Over his last few months in the city, Kojiro had co-opted the back half of the camp and turned it into a living compound. Unsurprisingly, Nobunaga and the rest had joined him, all of them being far more comfortable being around the armed soldiers that were under their command rather than in a scarcely-guarded private house. Eventually, they came to the small building set aside for military debriefs and reports.

To break the silence, Kojiro spoke softly, saying, "So it's done, then, at long last. How does it feel to be the new Emperor? Emperor Oda has a nice ring to it, no?"

"Odd." Nobunaga answered, a small smile on her face, "To have come so far after an event as potentially disastrous is a puzzling thing. I have you to thank for it all."

Shrugging, he answered, "I'm the one who kept you on this path, it was only right that I see it through. Besides, I find it better to have my home country at peace, rather than torn apart by war. With you in charge, I can wander as I please. Beyond that, what are friends for, if not to found empires with?"

"I don't think friends gift each other empires all too often, Kojiro, but nonetheless, I'm grateful." Nobunaga remarked wryly, continuing, "Where do you plan to wander off to?"

In response to her inquiry, he hummed thoughtfully, eventually saying, "I'll probably head back to Ichijodani, in order to check up on the Dojo. After that, I'll travel the country, to go about earning that Kensei title. In a decade's time, I plan to walk the rest of the world."

Nobunaga's next words were spoken with a hint of a scoff, "You never seemed one for a sedentary sort of life."

"No, I suppose I don't." he replied, adding, "When I was young, I felt that the walls of Ichijodani were almost prison-like. They were so small and I'd long grown familiar with their entirety. Now, the walls have grown to contain all of this country. I know nothing of the world within these larger walls. My greatest wish was to leave some proof of my existence on the world. I've done that already. We've done that. Invariably, this country will remember us for centuries to come."

A sad grin stretched itself across Nobunaga's face and she said, "I suppose even the walls of the nation are too small for you, then?"

"Not for a long time," Kojiro reassured her, "there are still a hundred things to do before these lands become familiar. Furthermore, there are a thousand more things to accomplish, before this country can be considered a proper empire. It's been shattered too long."

Nobunaga nodded and said, "I'll be needing your help, then. What first?"

He acquiesced to the demand without complaint, explaining, "First is the matter of appearance. It is not force that truly unifies people, but charisma. You have plenty of it, and the ceremony has put you in an ideal place to take advantage of that fact. The most important thing is that the people know you as well as they know themselves. They should be able to thank you for blessings or curse you for misfortune, but either way, you must be known. Once that is done, the country can unite around you."

"What of trade, then?" Nobunaga asked.

"Trade isn't something that can really be forced. At the core, trade is a byproduct of the roads that they take place on. The capital of the nation may be Kyoto, but the heart will never beat if blood is not taken to it." He continued, "Before all else, the people must be able to interact with each other. If you connect them, trade will undeniably begin once more. As it is now, without a way to contact one another, the people in Kyoto can barely relate to the people in Ichijodani and the people of Kyushu and eastern Honshu may as well be foreigners to one another. A system of roads will fix that."

Nobunaga responded, saying, "I see. Roads will be made then."

Kojiro didn't respond immediately, simply making an affirmative noise in his throat, before quietly saying, "Ah. There was one more matter to bring up: the sword I gave you."

"The sword?" Nobunaga asked.

Kojiro said, "Yes. That sword is no ordinary one. I doubt it is much of a surprise to know that the Gods were watching during the ceremony. They were not merely playing around when making the blade. A piece of my very soul was taken into the sword."

To demonstrate, he channeled his Embodiment and the Ame-no-Kaerikumo-no-Tsurugi responded eagerly, all but vibrating in the sheath. Warily, Nobunaga drew it from her side and it leaped from her hand into his. It moved through the air rapidly, nestling itself comfortably into his hand. He resisted the urge to swing it, returning it to Nobunaga.

"This sword will be my greatest gift to you," he said, "so know that whenever you use it, I will be by your side."

Nobunaga smiled and bowed her head, eventually saying, "Thank you. I will use it well. It is only fitting that I give you something as well. I will name you the 'Chief Weapons Master' of the entire nation. Aside from myself, you will hold sole dominion over all the armies in the country.' You may command them as you please, for whatever reason."

Kojiro opened his mouth to speak, but Nobunaga preempted his objection, saying, "Don't worry. I have no intention of forcing you into this. Ieyasu and Hideyoshi can handle the day-to-day duties. I'll grant them control of West and East respectively, as 'Defenders of State'. Neither of them will object to your appointment. All I ask is that should we need it, you lend us aid."

She really wasn't asking for anything that he wouldn't have willingly offered so he had no reason to reject the offer. It was better to have a position in the hierarchy, even if he didn't use it, rather than be absent of one entirely. After another hour of idle conversation and friendly chatter, Nobunaga left and Kojiro returned to his home.

After returning to his current home, he'd brewed up a pot of tea and been sitting on the small porch outside of his room drinking it, when he felt a presence behind him.

"It's nice to see you, Chiyome," he called.

The ninja's voice called back, answering, "Lord Kojiro."

He patted the spot next to him, then asked, "You are well? Has that Curse of yours returned?"

"It has not returned, fortunately," she replied, "the scales are no longer a malady, but a boon. They appeared without bidding only due to the ceremony."

He smiled softly at that, saying, "That's good to hear. Tea?"

She nodded so he handed her a cup of warm tea. They simply sat there for a moment, before he spoke.

"I will be heading to Ichijodani within the coming week." Kojiro said, asking, "Will you accompany me?"

Chiyome said, "I will."

The conversation died down after that and they simply took in the air and relaxed.

After about ten minutes, she took another sip and said, "This tea is rather well brewed. I had assumed you were a poor hand at everything besides blade work."

He turned to look at Chiyome, only to find that her eyes had become fully serpentine. The scales decorated her body rather visibly and she watched him with a look of strange interest. Not Chiyome then. If it wasn't Chiyome that was piloting her body, there was only one other being it could be.

Kojiro said, "Yamata-no-Orochi. It's rather rude of you to possess Chiyome like that. We were having a good time, chatting here."

The God possessing Chiyome's body scoffed, shooting back, "It was rather rude of you to give away the sword Susanoo and I painstakingly made for you. Do you know how hard it is to reach over to this side like that?"

He countered, saying, "You don't seem all too inconvenienced by this difficulty, as of now."

Orochi hummed, before saying, "The girl makes a suitable vessel."

Kojiro's eyes narrowed at that, before he threatened the God, saying, "You would do well to watch yourself. Enough of her life has already been taken from her control. I'd rather kill her body now, than let you do as you please with it."

The God raised Chiyome's hands in surrender and laughed in her voice, but perhaps seeing the steel in his eyes, said, "Fine. I wasn't planning on doing any body-snatching regardless."

Orochi reached a hand out towards him, but his hand on his sword warned the God away from doing anything rash. Chiyome's body huffed in annoyance before retreating some distance away. Orochi simply closed Chiyome's eyes.

When they opened again, he could see that Chiyome was back in control. The scales had faded out of view and her eyes were no longer so snake-like. He simply waited for her to regain herself.

She came back to her senses and with guilt coloring her tone, she said, "My Lord, I'm-!"

He cut her off with a gesture, before beckoning her to come closer. Chiyome approached cautiously and when she was close enough, Kojiro pulled her into a hug. The ninja froze for a second, before all but collapsing into him. Wetness stained his shoulder as she restrained barely prevented herself from outright sobbing. The sun set overhead as she continued to cry until eventually, the tears came to an end. After a moment, he leaned backward and inspected her.

Kojiro asked, "Are you alright?"

Chiyome nodded, wiping the remaining tears from her face and nodding.

"Do not blame anyone," he said, "least of all yourself. The only one at fault is that snake. When I took you as my shadow, it was with an oath of mutual loyalty. I would be a poor master if I let those sworn to me be abused. Inform Yamata-no-Orochi that if it shows up without proper cause, reasoning, or your explicit permission given to me, I will personally tear down its shrines and deface its temples. If it takes offense, it can come back and I'll stab it again. This time, maybe I'll actually get to kill it."

Chiyome let out a small giggle, before becoming solemn and saying, "The Yamata-no-Orochi says that it heard you clearly, and agrees to the deal, on the condition that it gets one day per week."

Rather than respond with a 'yes' or 'no,' he looked at Chiyome, who seemed unsure, but nodded her head.

Kojiro offered, "You may borrow Chiyome's body after giving her and me prior notice, once every other week on a single day that does not change. You may not perform any activities that will cause any form of harm to Chiyome, I, Oda Nobunaga, nor any citizen of this country."

"Yamata-no-Orochi says that it has no intent on harming its own worshippers," Chiyome communicated, "and that you are being rude."

"You may borrow Chiyome's body, with all the above conditions, once a month," he repeated.

Chiyome laughed, before relaying, "Yamata-no-Orochi says that's not how you bargain, and that it should be free to communicate with its worshippers since it's sponsoring Oda Nobunaga's empire."

He answered the offer with one of his own, "You may borrow Chiyome's body, with all the conditions first stated, once a month, with the exception of festival days dedicated to either you or Susanoo-no-Mikoto. On those days, you may borrow her body outside of the monthly instance, within reason. You will also adhere to the spirit of this agreement, rather than the word of it."

Chiyome offered, "Yamata-no-Orochi states that it is not a liar nor a cheat."

Kojiro reiterated himself, saying, "You, Yamata-no-Orochi, will swear a binding oath to follow the spirit of our agreement to your best ability, with Susanoo-no-Mikoto bearing witness."

Despite being clear, the sky rumbled in agreement and Chiyome's eyes took on an amused shine.

"Yamata-no-Orochi is cursing at Susanoo-no-Mikoto. It also says that you're more of a snake than it is," she said, after a long minute, "but that it agrees to the terms. Susanoo-no-Mikoto will bear witness, as requested."

Storm clouds began to gather above and lightning started to flash through the overhead clouds. The rumbling grew louder and the air grew ever more charged. Even as lightning began to fall from the heavens, Kojiro was more distracted by the force that was enveloping him. A bolt of strange-looking lightning crashed down towards him, but he didn't move or did he draw his sword. It struck him and the divine oath was finalized. Yamata-no-Orochi was now bound to follow the oath and he was bound to ensure that the oath was fulfilled. It began to rain harshly and before they could get too soaked, Chiyome pulled him off the porch and back into his room.

He glanced at the ninja and said, "It's done."

With a beaming grin, she looked at him and answered, "I know. Thank you, Kojiro."

A/N:

This chapter was a pain and a half to write. Took me ages, sorry about that. We're moving on, finally. Got some big things planned for the next few chapters, so look forward to it.

Gonna bring a bit of the Servant-class chart back for this chapter, so take a guess:

Lancer: ?

Also, to everyone who commented on the lore and everything else, thanks a bunch.

To MrSun, who left what I think is the longest review I've received so far: thank you. It's good to hear that you've enjoyed the story. Your complaints are actually perfectly valid, and I did consider having the names be different for a time as I was writing, but I felt that it was too much of a leap away from commonly used vernacular in the TypeMoon world. Originally, Reinforcement was called Strengthening, and depending on how I reread it when I edit it later, it (and the others) may still change. Thanks for taking the time to type all of that out.

To Soda-fiedPsycho and risci0309, who seem to be my resident lore masters: I looked into it some more, and what I found seems to state that Structural Grasping isn't a unique spell. It's part of the Material Transmutation branch of magecraft, along with Reinforcement, Gradation Air, and Reinforcement. Rest assured though, Kojiro will not be able to replicate any of Shirou's feats. Another point is that Shirou's spells, aside from his Tracing(which is a unique version of Gradation Air/Projection), were all taught to him by Kiritsugu, he didn't invent any of them. As it is, I need Structural Grasping as part of Kojiro's greater skillset. The Magic, as well, seems to me to be a case of Nasu going 'it's not reproducible' but then turning on his head and letting others have access to it by saying 'but well actually, these things can happen which are basically the same thing.' I've chosen to make the executive decision for the sake of the story to make the True Magics and effects that are 'close enough,' one and the same. For example: Alaya sending Counter Guardians through time and space to correct events and Zeltretch traveling through time himself will be treated as functionally the same and happen via the same mechanics, AKA the Second Magic. It's for the sake of my sanity.

To Gekko Tenshi: I hope that's a good thing? Vagabond is fkn epic, and if I managed to capture a bit of that, I'm hella proud.

To ALTER-BOT: Kojiro giving Nobunaga the sword wasn't the original plan. That's thanks to you, and I think it turned out far better than it was otherwise going to. Cheers! Even if I had to rewrite a lot of stuff lol.

To DATONEGUY: Yeah, I get it. Spacing is a nightmare on FanFiction. :(. It deletes all of the spacings I had in my original format and puts nothing to replace them. You can't actually have empty spaces. Tried to use the big lines as normal spacings, but that seems to have failed amazingly. Other authors seem to have adapted by just making each new line a new paragraph, so I may have to start doing that. I'll do another fix for spacing this week.