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. 34 START

In the aftermath of his climactic battle with the Yamata-no-Orochi, Kojiro had needed to be all but carried out of the Imperial Palace by Chiyome. Each of his limbs felt like dead weight, refusing to do more than twitch, and even his head felt rather cloudy from exhaustion. On the way out, however, he'd managed to muster up the energy to weave together a story for why he was coming out of the building with an ally when he'd gone in alone. It needed to be two things: convincing enough to get Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Hideyoshi to believe in the lie, as well as extreme enough to warrant and excuse a former enemy, notably Chiyome, joining with Kojiro. The alternation of truth boiled down to the fact that rather than his new ninja being responsible for Yamata-no-Orochi's appearance, it was Emperor Ogimachi's fault. In a mad bid to reclaim power, the man used his 'divine power' to conduct a foul ritual and summon the Dragon God in order to regain control of the country. Chiyome was the man's former bodyguard, who'd turned upon Ogimachi upon discovering his madness. Crucially though, to not piss off Chiyome's new patron deity, they had to make sure to state that Ogimachi had only managed to summon one of its children. After Chiyome and Kojiro took down the beast, the God made the 'former' ninja his new shrine maiden and in exchange for not decimating all of Kyoto, the people were to build a shrine to it. Backed up by the fact that not half an hour ago, all of Kyoto had heard the Dragon God roar, that was a fairly reasonable excuse.

After he'd been dragged back to the inner city barracks by Suzue and Chiyome, he'd been taken to one of the commander's tents, in the middle of the camp. The moment he set foot into his tent, it was like all the energy he'd had left, very little, had been drained out of him as the adrenaline keeping him awake finished doing its job. He'd made his way to one of the cushions on the floor and just sat there for a time, taking in everything that'd just happened. An hour or two passed in silence before Chiyome stepped into the room. Her face was set in a content expression, but it firmed once she saw him.

"Lord Kojiro," the ninja greeted, "I've just finished the peace talks with Oda Nobunaga. She's agreed to forgive the past actions of the Koga Clan, in light of my current services. My thanks."

Kojiro straightened himself, surprise leaping into his posture.

He said, "Ah, they've already happened? I had hoped to plead your case personally, in order to give the Koga more leeway. Perhaps I could convince Nobunaga to renegotiate?"

Chiyome shook her head, answering instantly, "No. There's no need. Trying to get any more benefits for me will only serve to put you in worse standing with Lord Oda. Furthermore, it's only my 'aid' in defeating Yamata-no-Orochi that allows me the platform to even converse as equals, without being slain on sight. I have you to thank for this opportunity, Lord Kojiro. You are my Lord now and my actions must work to benefit you."

Kojiro smiled at that, telling her, "Chiyome. I feel the need to remind you that while you may be my shadow, you are a comrade, an ally, first and foremost. You promised me your loyalty, and I, in turn, promised my own. I intend to keep that promise. That means treating you fairly. I would rather be confronted with my wrongdoings than be greeted with your knife in my back, alright?"

"Acknowledged, my…ally. Be assured. I would never harm you. I don't hurt anymore because of you." She cleared her throat awkwardly, saying, "Lord Kojiro, I will be here to defend you. Oda Nobunaga and her two generals are approaching, be ready."

Somehow, he was certain Chiyome wasn't referring to any recent pain. The wonder in her voice and the smile on her face told him that much. The moment her sentence was spoken, Chiyome vanished from his perception, almost as if fleeing. Despite her disappearance though, there was no doubt that she was still here. Somehow, she was cloaking herself, despite the narrow confines of the command tent. No doubt, this was the exact same thing that she'd done prior to their first meeting when he'd been trying to assassinate the Emperor. Try as he might, he could not detect her. He gave up moments later, deciding to just wait patiently for Nobunaga and the other two to come. Chiyome's ability to conceal herself could be figured out at a later date. Within a minute of that thought, they did so and the tent's flaps flipped open, revealing Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Hideyoshi as they stepped into the tent.

Hideyoshi was the first to speak, surprisingly, and when he did, it was with a troubled tone.

"I am glad to see you alive, Lord Sasaki," Hideyoshi greeted him, "but if I may, I'd like to confirm the words of our newest ally. Is it true that the Yamata-no-Orochi descended?"

Kojiro smiled at the man's devious questions. Even after such an occurrence, he was still trying to ascertain fact from lie. It was only natural to be suspicious of Chiyome's words.

He turned the smile into a contemplative frown, saying, "Close enough, if you were to ask me. Dragon God or its' son, I couldn't tell the difference. All I know is that there was a God in front of me, and somehow, I killed it. It was a miracle."

Ever vigilant, Hideyoshi asked once more, "A miracle?"

Kojiro nodded, saying, "Watch carefully."

As much as it exhausted him to draw his mental blade without rest, he needed to show that his claims were legitimate. He took a deep breath and drew his mental blade. At that exact moment, Ieyasu and Hideyoshi leapt from their seats, obviously unsettled.

He let the sword manifest in his hand, and as a familiar coolness enveloped him, he brought the blade down.

"Sever." he intoned.

The blade did just that, following the trajectory of his empty hand and splitting the wooden table in front of Kojiro cleanly in two. With a creak, the table collapsed in on itself, just as Kojiro resheathed his mental sword.

A sigh of relief seemed to leave each of his comrades, and slowly, they sat back down at the table. Nobunaga seemed to be running her hands over the cut, while Ieyasu seemed distracted by what he'd just seen. It was Hideyoshi who Kojiro looked to in order to finish this conversation.

"I will not be able to enact such a thing again today, not without collapsing from exhaustion," Kojiro said.

Hideyoshi turned from the split table, looked at him unblinkingly, and asked, "What was that?!"

"The blade I used to slay a God, Hideyoshi," he answered succinctly.

Hideyoshi gaped at that answer, before laughing, "I see. I see! A miracle indeed. My thanks, Sasaki-sama, for the display."

Kojiro spoke up again, "Please, leave aside the formalities, Hideyoshi. After our misadventures tonight, I'd be proud to consider all of you my closest friends. I'd take no offense to being addressed by my personal name."

Hideyoshi opened his mouth to comment, but was interrupted by Ieyasu, who scoffed at the man's hesitation, saying, "What does it matter, first or last name, you old monkey? For a Godslayer to consider us his equals is the highest honor. What disrespect is there in this specific request?"

"Fine, you stupid raccoon, fine. You win." Hideyoshi, finally convinced, all but shrugged, turning to Kojiro and saying, "Very well, Kojiro. My thanks."

Ieyasu continued eagerly, "In fact, Kojiro, why don't we have Nobunaga declare you a Sword Saint? After your deed, there's nobody who would say otherwise!"

After his words though, he froze and glanced at Nobunaga with a worried look in his eyes, worried about any perceived disrespect.

Nobunaga just looked at the man, and in a dry tone, said, "I'd feel bad about punishing you, after Kojiro's words about comradery. Just keep it to private meetings like this, and I won't mind."

As Ieyasu grinned at that response, Nobunaga turned to Kojiro, asking, "Still, Ieyasu's idea is a good one, no? Your skill with the blade far outpaces anyone else's, so it's not an unearned title."

Kojiro shook his head, stating, "No, not yet. Kensei is not a title that can be given. It needs to be earned. Once Nobunaga is in power, I will go on a journey across the country, fighting and dueling as I please. Of course, if there's need of me, I will respond."

After speaking, he yawned, and Nobunaga noticed. She rose from her seat, and stood up, saying, "If there are no more questions, we ought to let Kojiro rest. He'd done more than his fair share and it's time we do ours."

She tilted her head towards the entrance, and both Ieyasu and Hideyoshi understood.

Ieyasu got to his feet, and bowing to Kojiro, said, "You've done the both of us a great favor, Kojiro. Prevented a great dishonor from staining our names. I'll find a way to pay you back, someday. Be well."

He turned to leave, and Hideyoshi offered a bow of his own, before turning and following Ieyasu away.

Once she was certain that they were gone, Nobunaga sat back down and with a serious expression, looked at him, asking, "Kojiro, tell me the truth. What's going on?"

At that, Kojiro shot a confused look at her, replying, "What?"

"Something told me you were lying when you were talking to Hideyoshi." the Oda warlord asked, " Tell me why that was?"

Kojiro exhaled, then tapped his hand against the table. Not speaking now would endanger his relationship with Nobunaga, but speaking could affect his alliance with Chiyome. Both were bad options. Without any words, Chiyome stepped back into sight, out of nowhere.

Chiyome, with her head tense and bowed, spoke, "Lord Kojiro."

The ninja had come out of hiding, indicating that the choice was up to him.

"Chiyome, may I tell Nobunaga the truth? This concerns your clan." he asked, then looked to Nobunaga, "I've made a promise to her as well. I need your word that you will not harm her."

Nobunaga asked at once, "What was the promise?"

It was not Kojiro that answered but Chiyome, who looked into the warlord's eyes solemnly, saying, "Salvation for service."

Nobunaga blinked at the statement and straightened, then demanded, "Explain."

Chiyome did so and began with the story of her clan and their ancestral Curse. She spoke of her childhood: of receiving the Curse, of isolating herself in the mountains, of returning home and being rejected. She spoke of her later life: of being married to a samurai related to the Takeda, of that samurai dying and her work for Takeda Shingen himself, of killing the man upon being betrayed by him. She spoke of her recent past: of seeking a solution to the Curse, of failing over and over until meeting Emperor Ogimachi, of the ritual's failure and Ogimachi going mad, of Kojiro's attempted assassination, of her fight with him, of her possession by Orochi. In the end, she simply knelt there, waiting for judgment. Nobunaga leaned her head against her fist and finally spoke.

"What of your future, Mochizuki Chiyome? What do you wish for, now that you are free?" Nobunaga asked.

Head still bowed, Chiyome answered, "I wish to serve Lord Kojiro. He saved me from the Curse, and thus, I owe him my life."

Nobunaga didn't reply to that statement, simply turning to Kojiro and staring into his eyes, as if looking straight into his soul, for what felt like hours, before leaning forwards and embracing him, before letting out a soul-deep sigh.

She whispered to him quietly, chuckling bitterly, "Kojiro. You are not permitted to perish until long after I'm gone, got it?"

Taken aback by the action, Kojiro went still, giving Nobunaga time to continue.

"Mochizuki Chiyome. You will ensure this, understood?" she asked.

Chiyome nodded and taking the dismissal for what it was, faded back into the shadows. Kojiro was left alone with Nobunaga.

"Nobunaga-?" He tried to speak but was silenced.

The Oda warlord spoke quietly, "You are so terribly young, Kojiro. I was nearly twice your age when I first fought that battle in Owari. Do not think I am disparaging you either; I know well your talent with a blade. It's just that I want to ask you something. Why do you fight?"

He hummed curiously, asking, "Why do you ask?"

Nobunaga just shook her head, saying softly, " It's just that I just had a thought. The question of 'What am I fighting for?' has filled my head for the last year. At first, it was to rebuild my clan, but now bar none, the Oda are the most powerful Clan in the country. Then, it was for absolute victory, of claiming the entire nation as my own, but now, I've already done that. I won. Now that I've won, I feel as though my life has no meaning anymore. I've rebuilt my Clan and conquered the nation, what else is there to do?"

For Kojiro, this was an intimately familiar conversation, but this time, he had an actual answer to such a declaration. Yet, when he tried to speak, he was prevented once more.

A finger was placed against his lips to seal them, and Nobunaga spoke in a haunted tone, "Kojiro. Every single night, I am haunted by nightmares. It's like the world is telling me that Oda Nobunaga should have died at Honnoji Temple. Yet, I did not. The only reason I can think of is you, Sasaki Kojiro. You who appeared from nowhere, saved my life, and demanded only friendship in return. Tell me why, Kojiro."

"Nobunaga, you really are hardheaded." he reprimanded her, with a genuine laugh.

At her look of abject surprise, he chuckled again, "I told you already. I saved you because I felt like it. I could have left, and believe me, I thought about it, but I chose not to. There was no motive other than 'why not?' Besides, why should we care about what the world tries to tell people like you or me? When you were outnumbered in Owari, did you back down because it seemed impossible? It was the same for me at Honnoji."

Nobunaga took a deep breath, saying, "You're right. It doesn't matter. I've still got a thousand things left to do. In that case, since you're not content with letting me be done with it all, will you aid me? I am better versed in matters of war and your perspective will be useful."

Kojiro nodded, "I will."

"Good," Nobunaga said, "then that will be all. Rest well, friend."

With those words as a farewell, she turned and left Kojiro to his rest. Soon after, he went to bed and collapsed into unconsciousness, too tired to do much else. When he'd gone to sleep, it'd been early morning, and when he'd next woken up, it was still morning. He blinked in surprise, before trying to get up, only for blinding pain to incapacitate him. His vision went white with pain, his body seizing, and the next thing he knew, Kojiro was staring blankly up at Suzue's worried face. It seemed like the grunt of pain that'd been forced from his throat had woken his unofficial apprentice up and she was fussing over him. Really, the girl was too attached to him.

"Sasaki-sama," Suzue greeted him, with a worried frown, "you're finally awake. Are you alright? I heard your cry of pain."

Through a throat as dry as sand, Kojiro choked out, "How…long?"

She answered, "It's been an entire day, Sasaki-sama. I was getting worried."

Suzue helped raise him into an upright position, only for a voice to break the silence.

Chiyome said, "Lord Kojiro, it'd be wiser to let yourself rest. Your efforts yesterday expended not only your physical strength but your magical strength as well. Manifesting your soul like that was an ambitious ploy, even if it was effective."

She'd appeared out of nowhere, the ninja coming to a halt right by Suzue's side. It was something his unofficial apprentice didn't appreciate, given the way she reacted by drawing her blade on Chiyome.

"You! I saw you yesterday. Sasaki-sama, who is this woman?" Suzue asked, yet to drop her guard.

Obviously, she'd seen Chiyome before but had ignored the other woman given the circumstances. Chiyome, who was on the receiving end of the sword, wasn't looking at Suzue, but rather, at him. Kojiro took a deep breath, gesturing for a cup of water. Suzue was swift to understand, handing him a cup from the small side table. He took a sip.

"Suzue, this is Mochizuki Chiyome. My…shadow. She's a ninja. There's no need to be worried, I trust her." he told her.

Judging by the way that Chiyome relaxed and the small smile that had slipped onto her face, the ninja really liked that. Suzue glanced at Chiyome, looked her up and down, then sheathed her sword.

She looked towards him once, before saying to Chiyome, "If Sasaki-sama trusts you, then I will aspire to do so too, Mochizuki-san."

Kojiro continued to speak, "Chiyome, this is Suzue, my apprentice. I rather like her, so please, watch over her as you would me."

Suzue shot a surprised glance at Kojiro for making their relationship of teacher and apprentice official, before the surprise shifted into gratitude.

Chiyome spoke, saying, "Understood, Lord Kojiro. You are still injured. May I inspect you?"

He nodded, unsure of what to expect, simply closing his eyes and waiting. He felt the ninja's hand make contact and a wave of foreign energy passed through him.

"Lord Kojiro, it appears that I've discovered the issue," Chiyome said slowly.

Kojiro asked, "What's the issue, then?"

Chiyome answered, "Ah, you awoke your Magic Circuits yesterday, that's why you're having trouble moving today. The strain of that effort combined with the fight against the Yamata-no-Orochi seems to have proven too strenuous."

Ignoring the fact that she'd just discovered that magic was real, Suzue asked, "Will Sasaki-sama recover anytime soon?"

"Within a few days, he'll be fine." the ninja confirmed.

Ever cautious, Suzue asked again, "Is there anything we need to pay attention to when it comes to magic?"

Chiyome answered, "Its practitioners call it Magecraft, but, yes. Magecraft functions like any other weapon. It's just dangerous. I've already spoken to Lord Oda about this, but I need to warn that I wouldn't be surprised to see Onmyoji appear in Kyoto, sooner rather than later. My clan and I will do our best to drive them off with our connections, but some rogue Onmyodo practitioners may ignore the attempts. Please be cautious."

A/N:

Here we go, second arc is starting now! There should be another chapter for Swallow soon where things begin really picking up. Also, some Nobunaga and Kojiro interaction/characterization in this chapter. Had some trouble writing that.

P.S.- To saxmepapi, within the week, hopefully. It's a big one, and after that, things will pick up storywise.

P.P.S.- I've got another fic, about an Apollo SI in Percy Jackson. You might like it, or not, who knows?

P.P.P.S- Fanfiction deletes paragraph spacing, and I'm going to get around to fixing that soon. I've been lazy. Most of the notifications for the next bit will be me fixing chapter spacings.

Edited Chapter 34 on 12/31/2022 for Spacing and Minor Spelling Errors.