Title: Comparing Swords

Characters: Kagurazaka Asuna, Student Number 17, Endo Haru

Genre: General

Rating: E

Timeframe: During Chapter 28, after Youko, Haru, and Keiko's return from Kyoto

Spoilers: None, assuming you've read up to the "A Fox in Kyoto" arc

"So...like this then?" Endo Haru asked as she held the enormous lightly curved sword she'd found in Kyoto up one handed above her head, bits of sunlight filtering down through the branches above shining down on her.

"Hmm..." Asuna frowned as she looked at the way the girl was holding the sword, then looked back down at the laptop computer she had borrowed. "That still doesn't look right," she said, then turned the laptop around so Haru could see. "See how this guy is holding it?" she said, pointing at the screen.

Haru looked over at the picture, and sighed. It was obvious that the guy in the picture had no idea what he was doing; he was trying to hold his sword like he was some kind of European knight or something... She wondered why Asuna didn't seem to understand her problem with that sort of stance. It was obvious the sword she was holding wasn't built for chopping things up; it was meant for slicing.

"Hmm..." Asuna said, frowning. "Then again, something about that doesn't look right," she said.

Haru heaved another sigh. Why had she even bothered to ask Asuna to show her how to use a giant sword, anyway...? An image of the only other giant sword user around flashed into her head, and she shuddered.

There was no way she was asking Scary Max-sensei for a primer in giant sword use. Regular training from him was plenty, thanks. More than enough, really. Way more than enough.

"Can I hold it?" Asuna asked.

Haru looked at the woman, wide eyed, then down at her sword, then back up to Asuna. "Do you have to...?" she asked. She didn't like other people holding the sword; they usually didn't want to give it back...

"Well yeah," Asuna said, grinning at her as she stood up and put the laptop she had been using down on the stump she had been sitting on. "It won't be as good as having someone who actually knows how to use it teach you, but it's obvious that looking at pictures on the internet isn't going to help here. And besides, nobody else around here seems to know how to use a sword like that," she said, pointing at Haru's sword. "I'm good with swords though, and I've used a lot of different kinds. Maybe I'll be able to figure something out if I swing it around a couple times."

Haru gave her sword one last long, lingering, look, and handed it over.

Asuna's eyes widened in delight as soon as she took hold of the sword's handle. "Oh wow, it's got some kind of rejuvenation enchantment on it!" she said excitedly.

"Um...it actually just temporarily holds back tiredness and clears your mind," Haru offered, desperately wanting to take the sword back. "And some kind of purification thing too..." This was the crucial point, the point where she had almost had trouble getting people to give the sword back a few times before. She watched Asuna closely; the so-called 'rejuvenation effect' was highly addictive. Dangerous too, she mused as she recalled the way all her exhaustion had rushed back upon her full force the instant she had let go of it the first time.

"Ooh, sounds useful, but that rejuvenation effect could be a problem too," Asuna said as she lifted the sword up, testing its weight.

"Y-yeah..." Haru said nervously, watching the sword as Asuna started moving it around, trying to get a feel for it. She was doing it wrong, and Haru's hands twitched. She wanted to take the sword back.

"Hmm..." Asuna said. She paused for a moment, looking at the sword. "Looks like one of those Chinese dao swords, but..." She paused for a moment, cocked her head to the side, then swung the sword around as she spun once in place.

Haru let out a gasp and ducked as the sword's blade passed barely a foot over her head; she had been inching forward without realizing it.

"You okay?" Asuna asked, looking at her. When Haru nodded, she gave her a serious look. "Stay over by the stump until I'm done, okay? That could have been ugly...this guy's razor sharp," she said, looking at the blade. She smiled down at it.

Haru went over to where Asuna had been sitting, picked up the laptop computer, and sat down, holding it in her lap; somehow it felt better to have something she could hold on to while she watched Asuna with her sword.

"Now, that spin...it felt close, but not quite right," Asuna muttered. "Let's see..."

The next several minutes were an agony of waiting for Haru as she watched Asuna play with the sword until suddenly Asuna grunted in surprise and her eyes widened.

"Oh!" Asuna said in surprise. "Oh!" She grinned as she spun in a circle, the sword following along smoothly, slicing through the air. "That's it...!" Asuna said excitedly. "That's how you do it! Are you watching, Haru-chan?" she asked as she paused in her movements to look back at her.

Haru nodded dumbly, struck by the beauty of the sword in the hands of someone competent in its use. Haru didn't know what Asuna had done to figure it out, but whatever it was, she had somehow hit on the perfect way to use the sword. Asuna walked in a slow circle, constantly moving, the sword flying smoothly around her in intricate spirals of motion, and Haru watched in awe as she realized that she had come to exactly the right person to learn from.

Asuna was laughing, moving faster and faster, her eyes wild. "Just like one of those kung fu movies!" she said excitedly as she went into an intricate pattern of thrusts, slices and spins so quick that Haru's eyes couldn't keep up.

When it was finally over, Asuna, looking perhaps the happiest Haru had ever seen her, trotted over and held out the sword, grinning wide.

Haru hesitated. "Don't you...don't you want to keep it?" she asked nervously. Nobody else she had shown it to had ever given it up so easily.

Asuna shook her head. "No, it's your sword, Haru-chan." She smiled wider.

Haru reached out hesitantly and took the sword by the handle, and took it back. She looked up at Asuna, still smiling hugely as if she had just had the most fun she'd ever had in her whole life. "Aren't you tired...?"

Asuna looked at her blankly for a moment before it seemed a lightbulb went on in her head. "Oh! You mean the rejuvenation? No, I didn't let it affect me," she said lightly as she put her hands on her hips. "But that was so much fun! I've gotta get me one of those! Do you know what it's called?"

Haru shook her hands as she put the sword back into the sheath the Shinmeiryu had provided for it. "People were just calling it a big 'dao' sword."

"Yeah, looks like a dao alright," Asuna said, cocking her head to the side. "Different from a normal one, though, and not just how big it is. I know a good swordsmith...maybe I can get him to go into Eva's resort and make me one of those before we leave in a few days," Asuna said, looking thoughtfully at Haru's sword. "In the meantime, let's get you some training on that thing!"

Author's Notes: If you're confused about Haru's sword, go back and reread the "A Fox in Kyoto" arc at the end of SW3 Book 2, specifically the second chapter of the arc. I'll wait. … Done? Now, the sword is what's commonly called (on the internet) a Bagua Dao, a huge sword of the 'dao' style. This particular one is actually a lost legendary artifact that makes the user feel refreshed at all times while holding the sword, and also has a powerful purification effect. It also has the side effect of being an instant hangover cure.

As a bonus, here's the story of how Haru's legendary magical chinese-style sword ended up in a run down 1800s Japanese mansion in Kyoto, in folktale format.

Title: The Tale Of The Young Man And The Oni

Characters: The Young Man, The Traveler, The Oni, The Maiden, The Foolish Villagers

Genre: Folktale

Rated: In violent folktale tradition, it's rated G

Timeframe: ~1000 A.D., give or take 500 years or so

Spoilers: None, really.

Long ago, in the days when the wild oni and tengu still lived freely in the mountains and youkai still roamed the land, there was a village at the foot of a mountain. On the night of every full moon, a great wild and wicked oni and his followers would come down from the mountain and demand the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden. Many brave men thought to go and face him in battle, but none ever returned, and the village suffered long under the terrible oni as all the beautiful maidens were taken away one by one.

One day a young man, upon returning from a trip to the neighboring village, found that his neighbor's daughter had been given as the most recent sacrifice and became enraged, for he had no family and had hoped to have her as his wife. But, no matter how he berated them, none dared to mount a rescue; the oni had demanded a sacrifice in exchange for their lives, and a sacrifice he had been given. If the sacrifice was asked to be returned, none knew what terrible fate would befall the village, for the oni was devious and cruel. The young man took up a spear and tried to go up the mountain to face the oni himself, but the elder ordered him bound and put into a cell, so great was his fear of upsetting the oni.

The next day, a wandering traveler entered the town and, upon hearing the young man's shouts, inquired about the purpose of his confinement. Upon wheedling the story of the oni out of his hosts with drink and lies about the splendor of his host's house and the great beauty of his ugly daughter, the traveler, being quite a drinker himself, matched drinks with his hosts that night until all but the traveler had drunk themselves into a stupor, and quickly left the house. Upon approaching the shed that served as the young man's cell, the traveler knocked on the side of the shed.

"Who is there?" the young man asked.

"Is it true you wish to slay the oni?" the traveler whispered, so as not to be overheard.

"With all my heart," the young man replied. "It has taken my love; I wish to have her back."

"Very well. I will free you, and accompany you on your quest," the traveler said, and opened the door of the shed. He cut the young man's bindings and freed him, gave him a spear, and both headed for the path up the mountain.

The path was long and steep, but the young man charged ahead regardless, so intent was he on saving his beloved from the evil oni. The traveler followed along, easily keeping pace despite his excess of years until they arrived at a wide forested area between two mountains, and they knew they had arrived at the great oni's home, for a human skull stood perched upon a post set in the ground, as a warning against any who approached as to their fate should they decide to enter the oni's territory. The sight brought the young man pause, but the traveler continued on past the young man, and so the young man saw the great sword on the traveler's back.

"That is a great sword for one of an advanced age," the young man said. "Can you use it?" he asked, for he found himself suddenly overwhelmed by fear that a madman had just led him to his death.

The traveler turned to him and spoke. "Do not worry for me, look to yourself."

They continued on, creeping among the trees until they came upon a hole in the ground, from which rose sounds of a drunken party, and the smell of blood and cooking meat.

Fearing the worst, the young man brandished his sword and rushed into the hole. The traveler followed.

Inside the hole was a long tunnel through the rock, which ended in a wide chamber, well lit with torches and a great fire in the center. And now the young man cried out in horror, for human blood and bones and other remains were strewn everywhere. The traveler tried to show him where the young woman was tied in a corner, but it was too late; the great evil oni had noticed them and stood to his full height.

The young man cried out again at this terrifying sight, but the traveler spoke into his ear. "Is this what your love is worth?"

The young man apologized and brandished his spear at the oni, but the traveler again laid a hand upon his arm.

"Do not trouble yourself with the oni; look to the girl." And the young man was grateful to the traveler, though worried for his safety as the old man removed the great sword from his back and announced himself. "I am called Yang, and this is my sword, the Devil Slayer! Even the gods cry in fear when it is drawn! Who are you?"

"I will not tell you, for you will soon be dead," the oni replied as it raised its club.

Upon seeing this, the traveler turned to the young man and the maiden. "Flee, and do not fear for me. I have lived a long life, and have much longer to live still."

The young man and the maiden thanked him sincerely and fled the cave. Upon exiting, they found the clearing filled with the evil oni's followers, and reentered the cave, from which the sounds of a great battle came. The maiden was afraid, but the young man, trapped in the cave between the oni and his followers, knowing death was near and regretting his decision to leave the traveler to his fate, resolved to help the traveler fight before he died. Leaving the maiden in a hidden cranny in the rocks of the tunnel, he swiftly made his way to the cavern and there found the traveler and the oni locked in mortal combat. The young man rushed forward, brandishing his spear, and the oni was distracted. The traveler, seeing this, used his sword to cut the oni's belly.

The oni roared and hit the traveler with his great spiked club, killing him, and the young man fled, for the oni, mortally wounded smashed his club against the sides of the cavern in his death throes, and the walls and ceiling cracked and began to fall. As the young man retrieved the maiden, he heard the oni shouting.

"With my last breath, I curse this land, and I curse you and your family for all time to come! May my hatred for you never die!" the oni said, for it had been the young man's sudden appearance that led to his mortal wound.

"Then I promise my family will stay on this land until you are gone forever!" the young man cried out in anger. "My family will remove your curse from this land, and none will ever know you lived here!"

Having spoken so rashly, the young man took the maiden and fled the cave as it collapsed behind him. The oni's followers, knowing their master had died, fled, and the young man and the maiden ran all the way back to the village, where everyone had heard the noise of the oni's club thrashing the earth and were afraid. The villagers, upon hearing the story of the traveler and the oni, were ashamed for letting their fear of the oni control them so. The neighbors gave their daughter's hand in marriage and many acres of farmland to the young man in thanks for his courage in freeing the village from the wicked oni, and they married and had many children, and built a great house over the oni's cave in order to protect the village and surrounding countryside from his curse, and the family flourished for all of their days.

~The End~

Author's Notes 2: Or something. Now, in case you didn't recognize "Yang" (which I'm betting every last person reading this didn't), he's actually Lu Dongbin/Lu Tung-Pin, one of the Eight Immortals from Chinese mythology. Look him up on wikipedia...it's pretty interesting. Anyway, he has a sword called Chan-yao Kuai, or, as I saw it translated on one site, 'Devil Slayer', which has a certain ring to it. Anyway, that's Haru's sword. The young man in the story above founded the Shinmeiryu, or 'God's Cry' school of swordsmanship in Kyoto, on the site of the future Konoe compound. The family grew and flourished, and soon other buildings grew up around it, and in the late 1800s the main house was rebuilt with a more western style in mind, though it retained many of its cultural design asthetics. However, someone digging underground in the late stages of the house's rebuilding stumbled upon the oni's cave, accidentally unleashing the oni's curse (and, incidentally, finding the sword Lu left behind; being immortal, he had dug himself out several centuries earlier at the latest). The Shinmeiryuu helped everyone who hadn't died yet flee the house and did their best to seal the oni's curse, though they weren't able to destroy it completely, leaving it dangerous for anyone to approach the house. Ultimately, they sealed off the whole around around the house with charms and things, and they were just about the only people (except the occasional unlucky person who stumbled past the wards...everyone who entered the house not knowing what it was ended up dead) to ever visit the place (to update charms and check the seals) until Haru accidentally barreled through and unsealed the area. If you read the second chapter of the 'A Fox In Kyoto' arc, you know what happened after that.